Heaven in the Clouds
by stillwaiting4u
Summary: The #1 Lazy ninja is stuck inside a closet with some girl. What a bother. However, it turns out he almost likes this trouble. Read to see what happens after Ino makes Shikamaru play 7 Minutes in Heaven!
1. In the Closet

… _So I started this on a site called quizilla, originally as a Seven Minutes in Heaven quiz, and this is what happened. The first part here is how she originally got to the party, then later what happened there, and then moving on to afterwards(next chapter) I really hope you guys enjoy and I can't wait to hear from you in PMs and comments. Woo! 3…_

_...Oh, and it's pronounced Kay-ee. Sorry if it's a bit hard to say, but I think it looks pretty …_

Kaie had decided to become a medical ninja. Her jutsu were pretty good, and she could cause some major damage with taijutsu, but she felt like she could contribute more if she were saving people, helping them get better, rather than destroying things and sitting, able to do nothing while a comrade possibly died.

Finally, she was at the hospital, about to begin a welcome session with Lady Tsunade. She walked in to find a few younger boys and girls, as well as the intimidating Hokage, and a petite pink-haired girl looking over the class.

Kaie was already a Chunin, so she was more experienced than most of the others who were Genin, but she still started in the same place. They listened to a lecture, then began under the instruction of a few of the medical ninja, and the scrutiny of the two kunoichi. Kaie was having trouble with her fish, but she kept trying, determined to succeed in her endeavor. All of a sudden, she saw a flash of pink and felt hands gently reposition hers.

"Here, it works better if you do this." The girl said.

"Thank you." Kaie answered, then tried again.

All of a sudden, it worked. The fish flopped around, before jumping off the table and into the water bucket beside it. Kaie looked up with gleaming eyes, so excited that she had done it, and the pink-haired girl gave her a smile.

"See?" she asked "You can do it. I'm Sakura, by the way, Tsunade-sama's student."

Kaie was still excited but managed to say "Kaie, thank you so much!"

After that day, the girls grew close, Sakura teaching and helping Kaie and having fun. Finally, one night, Sakura banged on her door "What is it, Sakura-chan?" She asked, before even opening the door.

The Pink girl jumped in, looking happy. "Ino and I are having a party, and we want you to come!" She said, then looked her over. "Well, you're going to want to wear something other than that!" Kaie stood in her tee shirt and an old pair of boxers, ready for some reading, then bed. She rolled her eyes, then turned to pull her clothes out.

Soon, she was dressed and had her hair flowing in ringlets and waves down her back. Sakura dragged her along the roads to a large guest house on the edge of the village. When they entered, she found obvious party makings; Food, large couches, and plenty of people. Looking the guests over, Kaie had met and knew most of them, besides a trio with sand headbands, so once Sakura left her, she was a bit nervous, but quickly began talking to numerous people.

…

Kaie sat on a couch, her head rested on her knee, watching some of the boys try and beat Neji at rock-paper-scissors. As Naruto tried and failed for the 6th time, she felt her friend Sakura settle into the couch next to her. Kaie turned and smiled. "Hey, Sakura-chan."

"Bored?" The girl asked, and was answered by a nod. Giving Kaie a wink and a slight nod to Ino, Sakura got up and announced they were going to play a game.

Once all the boys had a piece of paper, Ino announced "Seven minutes in Heaven!" Through the mixed noises of complaint, indifference and excitement, Ino explained the rules, blah blah.

Finally, the basket had been filled, and Ino held it out to Sakura. She proceeded and Naruto followed her in, but Kaie wasn't paying much attention. Seven minutes later, the pair reappeared, looking about the same, and Kaie went back to her bored position, resting her head on her knee.

A few couples later, Ino held out the basket to her, saying "Kaie your turn." Kaie rolled her eyes, but chose a paper, finding a small kanji she couldn't read.

"Uhm, I'm not sure what it's supposed to be, but it doesn't look like much effort was put into it." She tossed the paper at Sakura, and walked to the closet, knowing everything would be easier if she just followed the rules. Kaie walked to the wall, moving to lean against it and slid down, pulling her knees to her chest.

As she sat, Kaie tried to avoid thinking about what had happened in that spot previously, but her mind only turned to what she might be expected to do. Her stomach began to feel trembly and she became insanely curious about who wrote the tiny kanji. Finally, the door opened and Kaie saw the silhouette of a boy. He was tall, and walked with his hands in his pockets, but she still couldn't tell who he was.

He moved to slouch against the opposite wall, by accident, she guessed, as it was so dark she could barely see her knees. After a minute, Kaie's eyes readjusted to the darkness and she could see the boy's silhouette. He looked…. Like he was sleeping. Knowing the group relatively well, she could guess who the boy was. Kaie crawled across the floor and sat next to him. He really did seem to be rather comatose. Lifting a hand, she leaned in and poked him in the nose. The boy cracked an eye to look at her "Hn?" he mumbled.

"Wake up. You're boring." Kaie said.

The boy opened both eyes, sitting up and stretching. "What a bother. What do you want?" He asked, looking at her.

"I dunno, something interesting. I am locked in this dumb closet after all."

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" He asked.

"I dunno. You know they're gonna ask what happened. Not that that means we have to do anything crazy, but whatever." Kaie said, leaning against the wall next to him.

"Well, then, this is kind of like a mission, right?" He asked, turning to her.

"Uhm… not really." She said, small butterflies appearing in her belly. "But whatever." Kaie looked at him, and he looked back.

"Well, I am a shinobi after all. I have to do my missions with all of my skills."

Kaie wasn't completely sure what that was supposed to mean, so she sat, looking through the darkness at him, realizing she still didn't know for sure who he was. "Wait, who are you, exactly, anyways?"

"Shikamaru."

"Oh."

"What a bother. I'm supposed to kiss you, right?" he asked, turning.

"I guess." She said, involuntarily frozen. Her breath was shallow, and when he shifted to move in front of her, it nearly stopped. He leaned in, his green eyes staring into hers. Kaie closed her eyes and waited, shaking imperceptibly. After a moment, she felt warm lips against hers. She pressed her lips forward, enjoying the closeness and Shikamaru's warmth. His hands rose hesitantly, and he placed them on her waist. Kaie lifted her arms to wrap them around his head as the kiss deepened. Neither seemed to be conscious of what exactly was going on, and soon it became a bit more passionate.

At that moment, Shikamaru broke the kiss, letting his hands flop to his sides. "There. Mission Accomplished." He said, scooting down to lay on the floor, hands behind his head. Kaie sat, staring into the darkness, her heart beating a bit faster than usual. Once she had processed the facts a bit more, she looked down at him. He lay as stretched out as possible in the cramped closet, looking peaceful and asleep. She took a deep breath, and then bent down to press her lips to his again. It was a quick kiss, sweet and cautious, but his eyes snapped open. Shikamaru looked up at Kaie and said "How troublesome." He propped himself up on his elbows, gazing lazily at her.

"What?" She asked, turning pink. "Did you…?" she trailed off, looking away.

Shikamaru sat up and took her chin. He turned her face to look at him and he leaned in, pressing his lips gently to hers. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, but he pulled away. She opened her eyes to find him giving her an odd look.

That very moment, Sakura flung the door open, peering in. Kaie looked up at her, blushing slightly, then stood, brushing off her skirt. Shikamaru followed her out of the closet, returning to his seat by Choji. Kaie returned to her seat, doing her best to avoid the ponytailed-boy's eyes and keep her mind on the game.

… _Also, here is the link to the quiz. .com/quizzes/23398843/seven-minutes-with-the-boys-of-naruto if you wanna take it ^_^ Also, hoping to eventually add the rest of the stories, but Shika is my fave, so I've been working on this one a bit more."_


	2. Confusion and a Pain

_I know it's all kind of short, but at least for these first few, the story kind of made it's own natural breaks. I hope someone likes reading my story, and pray that you will send me a message or a review! PS- I'm gonna be gone for a week, so nothing will be updated until next tuedayish._

…

The game progressed and soon turned into cuddly movies with hungry ninjas. Kaie, slightly uncomfortable with all the couples that were probably just for the night, left to get juice for everyone. On the way to the kitchen, she passed Choji, munching on a bowl of chips happily.

Entering the kitchen, she found Shikamaru sitting on the counter, leaning against the cupboards, eyes closed. Quietly, she turned to the fridge, and pulled out the juice jug. She grabbed some cups and began to fill them on a tray. Kaie heard something from behind her and her heart jumped. She turned to look, the large jug still in her hand.

Shikamaru stood in the center of the room, his hand propped lazily behind his head, which was turned to the side, watching the people in the living room. Kaie watched him a moment, then turned back to finish filling the cups. She heard something else, and assumed that it was simply Shikamaru leaving, but then, suddenly, an ice cube clinked into a glass. She looked over to see the boy carrying many, and he began to add some to each glass. She watched, smiling slightly, before returning the jug to the refrigerator.

"Jeez, that's cold." said Shikamaru, rubbing his hands together.

"Ice cubes usually are." Kaie replied, smirking slightly. She took his hand and rubbed it between hers; trying to warms him up a bit. He blushed a bit, and put his other chilly hand over hers. Kaie looked down, then back up to his face, where Shikamaru was staring into her eyes.

"You know, your eyes are exactly the color of the sky right before it rains." He paused. "What a bother."

Kaie's heart dropped into her stomach. "Oh." With that, she dropped his hands and turned to pick up the tray of juice. A hand grasped her arm as she turned to leave, but she just shook him off, saying "Leave me alone!" and strutted into the livingroom, managing a smile.

…

Finally, it was time to go home, and Kaie had said goodbye to all of her friends. She left the house, hoping to have a quiet walk home to sort out her thoughts.

That plan was thrown out the window when she felt someone match her pace, walking beside her. She glanced over, seeing Shikamaru. She sighed, but continued walking, hoping that if she ignored him, he would go away.

"You know, you never let me finish talking." He said matter-of-factly.

Kaie continued walking through the dark streets.

"Well, I was going to say that I love watching it rain, and looking at the clouds." He added, watching Kaie.

She continued to walk, looking straight ahead.

Shikamaru grunted. "Jeez, you women are so troublesome, what a bother."

Something snapped inside of Kaie. Maybe it was because she was still tired from the mission she had just returned from, or maybe it was because of everything she had been put through lately, or perhaps it was simply this lazy idiot next to her. She stopped in the middle of the street, glaring at him. He had stopped as well, and stood, watching her apprehensively, hands behind his head.

"You are so irritating, you know that?" she said, loudly. "First, you kiss me, and then say I'm a bother, then you say something about my eyes, then say that it is troublesome, then you say that you wanted to say more, and you just won't leave me alone!" She screamed. Thankfully there weren't any nearby houses, because she was loud when she got angry.

"Well, are you sure you want me to leave you alone?" He said, watching her apprehensively.

"At this point, yes!" she screamed, stepping closer to him.

"Well, then, I'll leave." He said, turning to go, but slowly, and with an odd look on his face.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Kaie screamed, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to face her. "You wanted to talk to me, well; I'm here, so talk, lazy-boy."

Shikamaru simply watched her, seemingly amused. Kaie's face was getting very hot, and it had begun to rain. The kind of rain that soaked you instantly and somehow managed to leech all of your body heat within five minutes.

They stood, staring at each other for a few moments, as Kaie's hair became soaked and was plastered to her back, her mascara beginning to drip down her face. She began to shiver, but she was so irritated and confused, that she didn't register just how cold she was, or just how sick she was feeling. She glared at Shikamaru, watching his ponytail wilt in the rain and his jacket become soaked, then suddenly, she registered a change in his face, almost looking scared, and everything was dark.

…

_Okayy, my final edit was a bit rushed, as I need to leave for vacation soon, so I hope it's not too horrible, and you guys appreciate it! _


	3. What happened?

_Oh no! What happened?_

_Find out ;)_

…

Kaie opened her eyes. She took a quick inventory, trying to figure out what was going on. She closed her eyes again, and felt a pounding in her head. Taking a mental inventory, the rest of her body felt sore, but nothing broken or bruised too badly.

She opened her eyes again and looked around. She could see a white ceiling, as well as a green wall next to her. She sat up and realized that she was in her own bedroom. She lay in her bed, covered in fluffy blankets. She looked through the window and saw that it was still raining, and she remembered something;

She was yelling at Shikamaru, then all of a sudden, it was raining and he made a weird face. Then, this. _Damn Shikamaru. _She thought with a slight scowl.

She looked around again, fully taking in her surroundings. Her room wasn't the cleanest, but it wasn't messy either. There was a soaked skirt and tank top laying on the floor, as well as a pair of pants and a shirt she didn't recognize. She tilted her head to the side, confused, then, held her hand to her forehead, hoping to make it stop hurting.

Once the pain had subsided, she ran her fingers through her hair to find it a bit greasy, and only a little tangled from sleep. Curious, she looked down to see herself in a huge t-shirt and a pair of boxers she kept in the bottom of her drawer.

Kaie took a deep breath and slid her feet out from under the covers. She was determined to figure out what had happened, so she pressed the soles of her feet to the chilly hardwood floor, and tried for the door. She took a few steps, stumbled, and stopped. Taking a deep breath, she took a few more. She was a few feet from the door when her knees gave out and she fell to the floor. She gasped as she hit, and groaned, cheek pressed to the wood.

She lay a moment or two, gasping in air, and wondering why her head was spinning as though she were on a carousel. She felt gentle hands scoop her up and take her back to the bed. As she was placed on the soft cushions, she looked up to see Shikamaru above her.

"Shikamaru!" She gasped, sitting bolt upright, a scowl on her face. "Why are you here? Why are you in my bedroom!" He only smiled a bit and pushed her shoulders down. "No! Don't push me down! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE!" She sat up again, face-to-face with him, her fists balled up in the covers at her waist.

"Don't shout, you'll just-" Shikamaru said, before everything went dark again.

…

Eventually Kaie came to, and her eyes opened to see Shikamaru sitting on the edge of her bed. She sat up and looked at him, vaguely remembering what had happened last time and not shouting.

"What happened?" she moaned, holding a hand to her head.

"You made yourself pass out." He said lazily. "Twice." With that, he pressed her shoulder down and draped a cloth over her forehead. She lay, confused and in pain.

"Tell me what happened. The whole story." She demanded, looking up at him.

"What a pai-" Shikamaru stopped, remembering what had happened, and seeing the look on Kaie's face. "Umm…" he muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I guess it started with you shouting at me in the middle of the road. It started raining, and it was really cold. We got soaked, and then all of a sudden, your eyes changed, and you collapsed, but I..." He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"You what?" She asked, watching him. Being angry took too much energy; she only had enough for confusion and curiosity.

"I caught you." He said, looking at her bedside table. "Here, eat this." He added, handing her some ramen with plenty of broth. Just then, Kaie realized just how hungry she really was. She nearly snatched the soup and chopsticks from him, and began eating hungrily, forgetting manners.

"So what happened next?" She asked, through a mouthful of noodles.

"Well, I brought you back here, and then called Sakura. She came and checked you out, saying something about fatigue, lack of food and stress. So she got you washed up and changed, and I put you to bed."

Kaie swallowed quickly. "So… how long have I been out?" She asked, worried.

"Not even a whole day. Not too bad." He said, standing. "Want something else to eat?"

Kaie nodded at him over the top of her ramen bowl. Shikamaru left, and when he came back with some onigiri and a glass of apple juice, he found Kaie chugging water from the glass she found next to her bed. She gulped the rest and set it down next to her, before seeing Shikamaru standing in her doorway, an eyebrow raised at her thirst.

"What are you wearing?" She asked, eyeing the boy. He stood in a slightly large t-shirt that had hello kitty on it, and an ill-fitting pair of boxers.

He turned bright pink and sat the food down on the table.

"I'm serious, what are you wearing?" She asked again, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Well, I had to find something!" He said, defensively. "Sakura wouldn't let me leave, and I haven't gotten around to laundry yet."

"You know, I haven't worn that shirt in ages, it suits you." She teased, looking at him as she wolfed down onigiri.

"Shutup." He mumbled, taking an onigiri for himself.

"So what did you do after Sakura left?" She asked Shikamaru.

He picked at his rice and stared at the floor. "Well, I… uhm… slept some… and... uh… made some food… Mostly slept." He said.

"Hm." Kaie said, leaning back against the pillows on her bed, looking over the boy who had apparently taken such good care of her. "So what am I supposed to do now, nurse?"

"Uhm, I dunno… Sakura just said to feed you and make sure you didn't try and do anything too crazy. She took us both off missions, saying something about me making you sick, so I have to make you better."

"Uhuh, well, I just realized, but I reaaaaalllly gotta pee." She said, going to remove the covers. She swung her legs down, but then Shikamaru was in front of her.

"Remember what happened last time you tried to walk? And what kind of brainless idea was it to not eat anything at the party?" He asked, blocking her path.

"Well, I'm not gonna let you watch me pee." She said, ignoring the last part.

"At least let me take you to the bathroom, Sakura will kill me if you get hurt more."

"No." Kaie tried to stand, and could feel the weakness in her knees and the spinning in her head had begun again. "On second thought, Okay." She said, holding her arm out to put around his shoulders.

To her surprise, Shikamaru scooped her up and full-out carried her to the bathroom across the hall. He stood her inside the door and said "Don't hurt yourself." Before closing the door and waiting outside.

Kaie gingerly stepped to the toilet and managed to do her business without falling over. However, she stood and went to go wash her hands, and that was a completely different story.

She fell with a slight thud on the tiled floor in front of the sink, and a second later, the door was open and Shikamaru was pulling her up. "I'm sorry, Shika." She said, in a daze. "Let me wash my hands." She pulled herself over on the sink and stood in front of the mirror. She washed her hands, and looked up, only to see herself and Shikamaru.

She looked like she had just woken up. Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes a bit misty, and her hair curled in messy waves around her face and neck. Her face showed exhaustion and pain. Shikamaru stood behind her, hands on her waist, in an attempt to hold her up, watching her in the mirror. He studied her with his usual analytical gaze, calculating things only he knew. Their eyes met, and she looked away, blushing.

A rush of pain went to her head, and she nearly fell, even with his steady hands holding her up. "Come on; let's get you back to bed." Shikamaru said, lifting her up again and walking back to the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and tucked the blankets around her, "Get some sleep, okay?" he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then moved to collect the dishes and leave.

Kaie was in an odd dream-like haze, but she managed to lift her hand, grasp the edge of his shirt and mutter "No, stay." He looked at her and smiled slightly.

"Okay." He whispered, crawling into the bed behind her. He lifted the covers and slid underneath them, before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Goodnight." He whispered, brushing his lips against her hair.

…

_I would like to point out that all I know about Japanese cuisine is from reading manga and googling, so I am far from an expert. Please forgive me *pouty face*_

_Next time, let's see what Sakura's diagnosis is!_

_Please review! I want to know what you guys think, and reviewers are the best kind of people ^_^_


	4. The Diagnosis

_How about everyone review and be as awesome as _LesilleB. _You know you want to! _

…

"Shikamaru! Get off of her, you pervert!"

"Just lemme sleep…"

"GET UP NOW!"

"Huh? But she-" WHAM.

Kaie opened her eyes, and looked groggily at the pink haired girl over her. "Kaie, I am so sorry things ended up like this."

"No! She asked me." Shikamaru whined, flopping back down on the bed beside Kaie.

"Sakura, leave him alone." Kaie muttered, allowing herself to be pulled into Shikamaru's chest. They snuggled together, enjoying the warmth for a moment, before Kaie realized exactly what was going on. She sat up, which made her head spin, and flopped back onto the pillow, pushing Shikamaru's arm off of her. "Sakura? What's going on?" She muttered, holding her hand over her eyes.

"It's 9am and I came to check on you, only to find this pervert here, sleeping with his hands all over you!"

"I told you, stop shouting, and leave him alone." She said, slowly sitting up and managing to not make her head throb too badly.

Sakura sighed. "Well, come on, honey, let's go get you cleaned up properly. You're starting to look a little gross, and will probably smell in a bit." Kaie smiled slightly, letting Sakura hoist her up and bring her to the bathroom, leaving a sleeping Shikamaru mumbling on the bed.

Sakura started the water running, and sat Kaie on the toilet to wait. She returned with a fresh set of clothes and a towel. Sakura gently helped Kaie undress and sink into the hot water, scented with mint and eucalyptus.

Kaie relaxed and let the smell seep into her hair and skin, clearing her head a bit. "So, Sakura, what exactly is wrong with me?" She said, turning to the girl who sat on the toilet, looking at a clipboard.

"Well, I took some samples when you first passed out. You had low blood sugar, were the most dehydrated I've ever seen anyone, not to mention exhausted, and then got hypothermia from the rain." She looked over, and said "Here, let me wash your hair for you." Kaie dunked her head under the water, then turned to the wall, allowing Sakura access to her hair. "I figure you will probably have vertigo for the next day or so and hopefully be completely better by the weekend." Sakura scrubbed the teatree shampoo into Kaie's hair and then said "Okay, rinse."

…

Eventually, Sakura had Kaie dressed in a tanktop and a huge flowy skirt. She walked back into the bedroom to find Shikamaru sitting on the bed, stretching. Kaie leaned on the wall as Sakura said "Here, I brought you some clothes." and threw a bag at Shikamaru. He caught it and headed into the bathroom, still looking half-asleep.

Sakura scrambled around the room picking things up and muttering about lazy bums. Finally, she had the room nearly sparkling and a pile of dirty laundry next to the door. "Here, come sit down." She said, gesturing to the bed. Kaie sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around a fluffy pillow.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Kaie asked quietly, her head starting to hurt again. At that moment, Shikamaru reappeared, now in a grey t-shirt and loose sweatpants.

"Come here, you." Sakura said, pointing at the bed next to Kaie. He sauntered over and pushed her skirt out of the way, before sitting on the bed and leaning back against the wall. "Okay, now you two listen to me. You have a mission. Get Kaie better." She stared them both down. "You, Shikamaru, you got her here, you make her better. And _you_." She said, glaring at Kaie. "Don't do anything crazy, I need you. We've got something big coming up, and I need my best Medic." She tossed the dirty clothes into a laundry basket. "Now, neither of you are allowed out of this building until she can pass a full physical. Shikamaru, you need to do laundry, and make her something to eat. I brought groceries, so no problem there. Now, nothing nasty, and get a move on!" With that, Sakura left, slamming the front door behind her.

They sat in silence a moment, until Kaie looked at Shikamaru, and he looked back. "Well, you heard her. Laundry! And food!" she said, waving her arm, smiling. He rolled his eyes and got up, slouching across the room and picking up the laundry basket. "Down the hall!" she called after him.

Smiling, she lounged across the bed, drifting in and out of consciousness. She was curious how she could be so tired, but she didn't really care, her pillows were so soft and the blankets so warm.

Shikamaru entered the bedroom to find Kaie lying in the bed, sprawled across the covers, her skirt twisted around her thighs, and her wet hair sprawled across the pillows. She looked peaceful, her mouth slightly open and her cheeks flushed. "Kaie…" He said, hoping she wouldn't be too angry he woke her up.

Kaie felt someone's breath on her ear, and a hand on her ribs. Thinking it was a dream, she squirmed a bit and snuggled into her pillow. "Come on, I'm supposed to feed you." The words drifted into her brain, but didn't mean much. "Ugh. What a bother." She felt hands grasp her shoulders and lift her up. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Huh?" she muttered, dazed.

"Come on, stop being such a bother, and wake up!" She heard a lazy voice complain. She was still dazed, but then she felt warm lips on hers. Her senses came back to her in a flood, and suddenly she was wide awake.

Kaie's eyes were wide open, and she saw a spiky-haired boy staring back at her. "What the-"she said hostilely, pulling her shoulders out of his grip.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" He asked, in a lazy-cocky voice.

"Whatever." She said, scowling at him, and sliding back to lean against the wall.

"I have some leek soup Sakura brought." He said, pointing to the table next to the bed. She slid forward again, and began to gulp the soup greedily. "Hey, I'm hungry too, you know." He said, half-jokingly.

"Well, then eat some will you?"

"Nah, go for it." He said, looking around. "Hey, where do you keep your brush?"

Kaie quickly swallowed a hot spoonful of soup. "Drawer over there." She said, pointing.

"Well, sit up properly and eat, it would be such a drag to have to change the sheets again." Rolling her eyes, Kaie slid to the edge of the bed, resting her feet on the wood floor. Shikamaru stood and went to the drawer, looking for the brush. In a moment, he found it and returned to the bed.

Kaie had flipped the TV on and was watching some anime and drinking her soup, so she wasn't paying much attention to the boy until she felt her hair being pulled behind her shoulders. She turned around to see the boy sitting cross-legged behind her, holding her black hairbrush. "Wha?" She said, looking a bit odd holding the bowl in one hand and her spoon in her mouth.

"Just go back to eating; your hair is all tangly." Deciding it was too much work to resist, Kaie turned back around, watching the brightly-colored animals bounce around on the screen.

Shikamaru gently pulled the brush through her hair, expertly starting at the bottom, and working his way up. He slid the brush through the long dark strands, and soon he had a shining sheet of deep brunette hair in front of him. He could smell the cool mint in her hair, and it seemed to sharpen his senses, though all those sensed wanted to do was smell the shampoo and stay warm next to this conveniently placed girl.

Kaie had put her bowl down, enjoying the feeling of the boy gently playing with her hair."You're pretty good at that, you know." She said, sleepily.

"Lots of practice." He said, leaning forward to rest his chin on her shoulder.

Her head had begun to spin again, and she relaxed backwards. Soon, Kaie found herself between Shikamaru's legs, leaning into him, his arms around her waist. All she managed to think before falling asleep yet again was that she shouldn't be enjoying this as much as she was.

…

_I don't know about you guys, but I keep looking at these chapters and thinking they're really short…. This one says 1,465 words. I think I'm gonna keep them like this; it seems to be working out well… What do you guys think?_

_Oh, and if anyone wants to proofread for me or knows an awesome beta, I would be more than happy to hear. _


	5. Explanation

_I've been trying to get new chapters out to you guys on Wednesdays, but since I am ahead, I'm gonna send this one out to you now!_

…

Kaie slowly came back to consciousness. She seemed to be in a nice, warm, squishy bed, with a fluffy blanket pulled over her. She opened her eyes and saw a green wall about a foot in front of her. She stretched, sitting up, and ran a hand through her hair. Turning, she found her bedroom mostly the same as it always was, besides that fact that she saw a boy slouched in the chair near the bathroom door. She stretched a bit more, rubbing her eyes to wake up properly, then chose a pillow, and threw it at Shikamaru. He woke up with a slight jump, readjusting himself so he was sitting in the chair properly. He stretched, yawning widely.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Kaie asked, combing through her hair with her fingers.

"Well, I had been sleeping." Shikamaru replied, standing.

"What, is Sakura still not letting you go home?" she asked, detangling her skirt from the blankets, and flipping her feet into the cool air.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you're not better, so no." Shikamaru walked to the bathroom, turning in the door. "Besides, why would I say no to a week off of missions, especially with such a bothersome girl?" He quickly entered and shut the bathroom door behind him.

Kaie sat, her sleep-muddled brain trying to figure out what he had meant by that, but deciding it didn't care. Her main worries at this moment were having to pee, and food. Real food, not the pathetic soup and onigiri she had eaten before.

As the bathroom was currently occupied, food became the priority, and she slowly walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Still not completely steady on her feet, she had to stop in the doorway, but soon made it to the refrigerator.

Completely parched, she gulped down a glass of water, and poured herself some leftover apple juice, drinking that greedily as well. Refreshed, Kaie turned to the refrigerator, and made an attempt to bend down, looking to see what she had. Her head spun, and she tried to catch herself on the wall next to her. Thankfully, she felt fast hands wrap around her waist, holding her up, and she quickly worked to stand on her own two feet again.

"I can do it." She said, pulling Shikamaru's hands off of her.

"I don't know, it looked like you were having some troubles." He said apprehensively.

"Whatever." This time, she tried to crouch, but still, the change in altitude sent her world spinning, and she nearly toppled over. Yet again, Shikamaru caught her, and lifted her up.

"Here, I can get food. That is what you wanted, right?" He asked, setting her on the counter, and pouring her another glass of water. "Drink that." With that, he crouched down, checking over the fridge and pulling a couple things out. He turned around to find she had slid down and was now clutching the counter, in an attempt to not fall over again. The water was gone, so he gently took the glass and poured her more. "Come on." Shikamaru put an arm around her waist and lead her back towards the bedroom. Halfway there, he scooped her up, as it was much faster carrying her. He set her gently on the bed and handed the glass back to her. With that, he returned to the kitchen.

Kaie wasn't completely sure what had just happened, and her head was spinning nauseatingly. She sat for a few minutes, sipping the water in her hand, before realizing just how much she really did have to pee. Gingerly swinging her legs off the bed, she stood, waiting a moment for the room to stabilize itself. She took another step, staying close to the wall, and continued.

It took her a couple minutes, but finally, she made it to the door and managed to get into the bathroom and even close the door behind her. She hiked her skirt up and proceeded. A knock made her jump slightly, and she heard a voice saying "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I _can_ pee alone." She said, slightly irritated.

As she stood washing her hands, another wave of nausea and vertigo hit her. She grasped the edge of the sink and sucked in air, trying to clear her head. The door opened, and once again, Shikamaru was behind her, a look of worry and irritation in his eyes. "Why do you keep doing this? It's such a bother." He asked, holding her up as she dried her hands.

"What do you expect me to do? Pee in the bed?" She asked sarcastically.

Seeing she was done, he once again scooped her up and carried her back to the bed, dropping her into the pile of pillows and blankets. She sat up again, arranging her skirt so there was nothing R rated, and her eyes spotted the food. Shikamaru had cut up an apple, a mango and a peach, as well as brought some hastily made riceballs with pork. She grinned, and reached for a peach slice. The juice dripped down her hand, but she licked it off her fingers, savoring the sweet punch of flavor.

Shikamaru munched thoughtfully on an apple slice as he watched Kaie eat, handing her a riceball after she finished the peach. She took it gratefully and dug in, barely having time to taste, she was so hungry.

Soon, there were two riceballs and a slice of mango left, and Kaie leaned back, chugging the glass of water. Shikamaru took one of the riceballs and held the other out to Kaie. "Eat this."

"You eat it; you haven't eaten like, anything."

"I'm not the sick one, just take it. Besides, I had some in the kitchen."

She eyed the food, her hunger still grumbling, not having registered the food she had fed it. "Fine." She snatched the onigiri and took a bite.

"What do you wanna watch?" Shikamaru asked lazily, flipping the TV on. He switched through channels and landed on some news broadcast.

Kaie watched, but nothing seemed to be going on, as all the reporter was talking about was weather and good eating deals in the village. "Gimme." She said, holding out her hand.

"No. You sound like a toddler." Shikamaru said, flipping the channel.

Kaie grabbed a pillow and chucked it at his head, but his reflexes kicked in, and he easily dodged it, letting it slide down the wall. "Come on!" she whined, holding her hand out again.

"No." He flipped through a couple more channels.

Kaie crawled forward, thinking he wasn't noticing, and made a snatch for the remote, which he easily swung out of her way. She flopped down next to him, rolling over to look up at him. He turned, looking down at her, an eyebrow raised.

She turned on her puppydog eyes and used all of her charm to say "Please, Shika?"

The boy hesitated, but still did not hand over the remote, turning back to the television. Kaie flipped over again, her hair messy and over her face, stretched out across the bed. "Come on, it's my TV." She said, propped up on her elbows and belly.

"And I'm the one who was put in charge around here, especially seeing as how you can't even take a pee without nearly falling over." He countered, not looking at her.

Kaie's eyes narrowed, and she got up, sitting on her calves. She made a sudden lunge, this time, not for the remote, which was Shikamaru's downfall. She landed directly in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, looking him in the eyes. "You know, I can do some things alone." Shikamaru was slightly stunned, his eyes a bit wider, and his arm holding the remote off to the side, behind Kaie. "Now, give me the remote, before I call Sakura and tell her you let me fall and I hit my head." She threatened, smiling evilly at him.

"You wouldn't." He said, his eyes narrowing.

"Would too." She countered, like a little kid.

"Well, then, I'll just keep you away from the phone." He said, returning to the TV.

"You can't do that!" She exclaimed, pushing his chest.

"What? You think you will stop me?" Shikamaru asked, looking back at her.

"Yea! It is my phone!" She said, starting to get angry now.

"So? It's your remote too, and I don't see you getting anywhere with that."

Kaie lunged again for the remote, nearly jumping off the bed. Thankfully, Shikamaru grabbed her around the waist and slung her backwards. She lay, seething for a moment, before jumping at him again, managing to pin him to the bed, the remote held above his head. She reached for it, but he managed to pull her back with an arm and his legs. She grunted, kicked his legs off, and made another grab. Somehow, he managed to use her momentum to flip them over, and he sat across her hips, remote still extended over his head.

"Let me up!" She demanded, squirming and making a futile attempt to grab the remote.

"No. You'll hurt yourself, and I'll get in trouble."

"So you sit on me!"

"Well, apparently, that is the only thing that will stop you." He said, dropping the remote on the floor and leaning down, his arms on either side of her head.

Kaie heard the clatter of plastic on wood and scowled. "Now, that's no fun. Now you're just sitting on me, and there isn't even a point anymore."

"Well, as it turns out, you are one of the most troublesome girls I know, and it can be hard to get you to listen." Kaie froze. What was he saying? Her head hurt too much to try and figure it out. Shikamaru saw the confusion on her face and said "Are you going to listen now?"

"Well, I don't have too much of a choice." She growled, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Okay. Now, do you remember what happened in the closet?"

"Yea, you slept."

"Not that."

"Uhm… You kissed me?" She said, almost sheepishly.

"And how did you feel about that?" He asked, seemingly searching her eyes for the answer.

"It was a game. A stupid game that somehow turned into you stuck in my apartment for a week and this." She gestured at him straddling her.

"Hm. Well, then, you remember the kitchen, too?"

"Duh, it's my house, I see it every day."

Shikamaru sighed. "Not that kitchen. The one in the guest house."

"Yea, it had blue walls an-" Shikamaru had clasped a hand over her mouth, closing his eyes and muttering under his breath. "Mendokusai."

Sighing again, Shikamaru said "You make this so much more work than it has to be." He removed his hand. "Do you remember what happened in the guest kitchen after the game?"

"Yes." Kaie wasn't sure exactly where this was going, and decided to answer as simply as possible, as he would sit on her until she answered, and that wasn't her idea of a fun week.

"Well, then, will you tell me something? It doesn't make sense, and I don't like that."

"Uhmm… What?"

"Why did you get mad at me? We were talking, and all of a sudden, you left and told me to leave you alone."

Kaie thought back. Her head still hurt a bit, but her memory was pretty clear. "Uhm. You were saying stuff about my eyes, and then you called me troublesome." She said, making a face that obviously said she wasn't completely over it.

"So why were you angry?"

Kaie looked away, not really wanting to answer.

"It doesn't make sense, tell me." He said, looking down at her, but she continued to train her gaze on the wall. Balancing on one arm, he took her chin and held it in place so she couldn't look away from him. "Just tell me." Kaie saw the look of confusion and need on his face, and she finally gave in, closing her eyes and answering.

"It just didn't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you kissed me in the closet, and I thought that maybe you might like me. And then, you laid down, ignoring me."

She took a breath and he cut in. "That was because our time was almost up."

"If you want me to explain, shut the hell up." She said, opening her eyes to glare demonically at him. He made a sort of scared face and shut his mouth tightly. "Well, uhm." She said, closing her eyes again, not being able to look at him as she said this. "Anyways, you started talking about my eyes, so I almost thought that was a compliment, but then you said it was troublesome. So I left. I don't let guys play games with me." She opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"I wasn't playing any games." He said looking baffled at her words.

"Yea, Whatever." She said, looking away again. "Will you let me up now?"

"Only if you keep talking. I still don't get why you yelled at me in the alley."

"Fine, whatever." Kaie said, exhausted now, and only wanting to snuggle into her blankets with a teddybear she hadn't had in years and the TV. Shikamaru slid off of her, settling himself next to her hip, sitting crosslegged and staring at her face. "What do you want me to divulge now?" She asked, looking warily at him. "You know, it's not fair, interrogating the sickly one."

"I'm not interrogating you, I only asked you to explain something. Why were you so angry in the alleyway?"

"You wouldn't leave me alone!" She said, almost defensively. "All I wanted was to go home and sleep and I find some guy who can't make up his mind following me."

"Well, you hadn't listened before."

"To what? You tell me what a drag, and how bothersome I am?"

"I never said that."

"You sure? Cuz that's definitely what I remember." She said, glaring down at her toes.

"Nope, never said it. Why would I?" He asked, honestly intrigued by this conversation.

"I dunno, but that's what you said."

"Not what I meant."

"Well, I don't really care anymore. I just want to get better and go off on that mission Sakura was talking about. You know, do something with my life." She glared at him. "So thanks, you know, for getting me sick."

"I'm sorry." He said, looking into his lap, an odd look on his face.

"Just get me the remote and that pillow, and leave me alone." She said, crawling to lie in the bed properly.

"You know I can't do that."

"Whatever, then, just let me sleep. You can do that, right?" She asked, half asleep already.

Shikamaru pulled the covers up around her arms and lifted her head to slide the pillow beneath. Just as she was reaching unconsciousness, he whispered "I sure can." Kaie fell into a dream about pink bunnies, and she felt one hop across her forehead. It was just so soft…

…

_Everyone review so I know how I'm doing! And make sure you let me know if you want to see the Kiba fic I am working on… he falls in love with a girl from Suna, but it turns out he is gonna have to fight for her. _

_Now go and review. Now. _

_Please._


	6. Release

_It's Wednesday again! :) I would like to point out that nobody is reviewing! I know you guys are reading, and I want to know who you are! Maybe, if you talk to me and I like you enough, I would even write a one-shot for you…. ;)_

…

Kaie slowly came back to reality. She felt refreshed, but wasn't quite ready to open her eyes yet. She heard the faint sound of some show on the television, and felt really warm, and a bit sticky, but comfortable. She also felt a soft weight on her calf as she lay on her side. She opened her eyes to find the same anime she had watched earlier was still on, some kind of marathon. She sat up, leaning on one arm and running her fingers through her hair. She felt the weight leave her calf and looked to her feet, finding Shikamaru looking at her.

"Feel any better?" He asked.

"I guess." She said, sitting up fully, and facing him. "How long was I out?"

"I dunno. You passed out sometime around sixish, and it's past midnight now… So what? 6 hours?"

"I guess." She sat looking at him, the blankets pooled around her waist. "Got anymore of that fruit?"

Shikamaru sighed, started to say something about a bother, but stopped, getting up to hobble to the kitchen. He paused at the door, turning to say "And no trying to go to the bathroom alone. You'll hurt yourself. I'll be back in a second." He disappeared, and in a few minutes came back with a bowl of mango slices, and a couple packages of cookies and pocky.

"Ooh! Where'd you get those?" Kaie asked, picking a pack of strawberry pocky and opening it.

"I think Sakura brought them, there's also a lot more fruit. I think she had bananas too." Shikamaru replied, flopping onto the bed again.

"Well, we can have some of those later." She said. "So what happened while I was asleep?" she asked, pointing at the TV.

"Uhm, something about an evil guy and they have to fight him off now. I fell asleep for some of it, so I'm not completely sure."

Kaie watched the screen for a while, and began to think. She wasn't completely sure what was going on, and now that she was feeling a bit better, it was starting to bug her. What she had said about mixed messages was definitely true, as none of Shikamaru's actions seemed to make sense. First he kissed her, and seemed to enjoy it. Then he complains. He gets her sick, kisses her to wake her up, and then sits on her to ask about why she was angry. It all made her head hurt, and she realized once again that she had to pee. Hopefully her dehydration was beginning to get better, as she couldn't even remember how much she had drank in the last day.

"I gotta pee." She announced, tossing her package in the corner. "Am I allowed to try alone, or do I need my babysitter?" She asked, looking over at him.

"Well, I guess you can try to get there. You have been sleeping a lot… But, I'll go with you just in case." He decided, standing up and holding out a hand to her.

Kaie grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up. She stood, a slight headache appearing between her eyebrows, but took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I think I can do it." She said, taking another step.

Finally she made it to the bathroom, and looked over at Shikamaru. "This I know I can do alone."

"Well, you know I'll be in if I hear anything odd."

"Yes, because you seem to be my knight in shining armor lately." She said, closing the door. She managed everything by herself, but by the time she opened the door again, her headache had spread across the entire top front part of her head.

"I take it your head hurts?" He asked, seeing the pain in her eyes.

She nodded and he bent down, lifting her easily over his shoulder. "You know, that's not going to make my head feel any better." She said, as he dropped her back onto the bed.

"Drink." He said, holding out another glass of water.

Kaie took it and drank it thirstily. She set it back down and looked at him thoughtfully. "So why did you want to know why I was mad so badly?" She asked, squeezing a pillow.

"I didn't like you being mad." He said. "It's so much work."

"Yea, I'm sure it is…" she mused, leaning her chin onto the pillow in front of her.

Shikamaru looked at her thoughtfully. "You keep squeezing a pillow, and when you sleep you do the same. Don't you have a stuffed animal or something? I know a lot of girls do."

Kaie looked up at him, almost shy. "Well, I did, but, he got lost when I moved out, coming here as a genin."

"Oh." Shikamaru said stupidly.

Kaie turned to the TV, thinking again. "So what should we do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Well, something fun. But not too crazy. I'm just kind of bored."

"Well, I would suggest Go or Shogi, but I don't think you have it."

"That I don't." she said.

The pair sat, staring at the television for a while, until Kaie heard Shikamaru say quietly "I have an idea."

She turned to look at him and said "What is it?"

He sat, staring at the floor for a moment before saying "Close your eyes."

Nervously, Kaie conceded, feeling her eyelashes brush against her cheeks. "Is it a surprise or something?"

"Sort of." He sounded closer than before.

Kaie sat, wondering what was going on, her mind running rampant with ideas. She was just about to cheat, opening her eyes, when she felt pressure on the bed in front of her and warm lips crashing down on hers.

Her eyes popped open, and she found Shikamaru leaning in, his eyes squeezed shut. She pulled back an inch, and smiled slightly. He was still in the same position, with his eyes tightly closed, maybe waiting for a slap or something. To his surprise, Kaie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, hard. His eyes popped open, but when she seemed to enjoy it, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

They stayed that way, glued together by the lips for what seemed like eons. It was passionate and taboo, as the two pressed their lips together, broke apart, and went in for it again. Kaie scooted closer, and soon, she was perched on the edge of Shikamaru's lap, twisted around to reach his lips. She pulled away, breathing heavily, and he took the opportunity to kiss her neck gently. Kaie closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet, sensual feel. As he moved, he found a spot near her collarbone that made her shiver and gasp. Smirking into her skin slightly, Shikamaru moved to suck gently on the spot, hoping for a bigger reaction.

Kaie took a deep breath, and placed a hand in the middle of Shikamaru's chest, fingers spread, before pushing him away.

"What?" He asked, looking at her, his breath slightly irregular.

"I- No." She said, adjusting her shirt and pushing him to the side. She crawled to the corner of the bed, pulling her skirt down a bit and grabbing a pillow again.

"What's wrong?" He asked, crawling over to her and taking her chin, turning it towards him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know… I just… can't." She said, turning back to the wall.

"Oh. Well, I promise. I won't do anything you don't want." Kaie turned to look at him, seeing sincerity in his eyes.

"Okay." She said, with a slight smile. "Let's see what is on now."

Shikamaru grabbed the remote and wrapped his other arm tightly around Kaie. She leaned her head on his chest, still gripping the pillow tightly. His laziness was returning, and after a while they had both fallen asleep, the oddly colored light from the TV shining on their faces.

…

_AN: Originally, this was the break, but since I just love you guys so much, I decided to add a bit more. _

…

The week continued, passing in a lazy haze of pajamas, too-big t-shirts, blankets and that anime that Kaie still didn't know the name of. It was the last day of their confinement, and Kaie lay across her bed, the blankets complexly wrapped around and twisted by her body parts, lazing in a large t-shirt and soft sweatpants. Shikamaru lay with his head resting on the softer part of Kaie's thigh, his half-open eyes almost trained on the TV.

The pair had managed to keep the apartment mostly clean, especially once Kaie stopped falling over. For a few days she was still weak, and almost constantly hungry and/or tired, but she could do a bit more. She managed to make homemade egg drop soup, which Shikamaru couldn't seem to stop eating, asking her to make more, even though he wasn't the sick one. She had jokingly told him to wait and see what she could do in the kitchen when she wasn't sick, and he seemed eager to find out.

The pair had spent most of their time sleeping and watching television, though they had tried to play cards once, which didn't work out too well. Kaie got irritated with her lack of wins.

Shikamaru hadn't tried anything since that time in the middle of the night, but he had kissed her nearly every time she fell asleep since then. No matter how exhausted Kaie was, she always felt him press his lips against her nose or forehead before going to do dishes or lying in his own spot on the bed. She hadn't opposed any of his signs of affection, and had begun to find herself cuddled under his arm or into his chest quite a bit. Occasionally, Kaie even allowed Shikamaru to sleep with her, trusting him to keep his lazy hands to himself.

Kaie had been laying in her bed, Shikamaru's head propped up on her hip for about three episodes of their new favorite show, and she was on the verge of sleep, sliding in and out of consciousness. It was about 7 at night, and she thought vaguely about Sakura and Tsunade, pulling the pillow in front of her tighter to her chest.

Suddenly, Kaie heard something bang in her living room, and she sprung up, glaring at the door, gripping an empty glass tightly in her hand. Shikamaru had done the same, and he stood in front of her, a kunai from nowhere gripped in his hand.

Sakura flounced into Kaie's bedroom in a swirl of pink. "What? Thinking I'm gonna attack you?" She asked, looking at the two in front of her.

"Why did I give you a key?" Kaie groaned, flopping backwards onto the bed once again, grabbing her pillow.

"Because you need someone who can check on you. Your family is still on the farm." She retorted, smiling irritatingly. Shikamaru had relaxed and sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall.

"Farm?" He asked, looking between the girls.

"So? How is our patient doing?" Sakura asked, ignoring his question.

"I feel a lot better, still a bit tired, but I should be good for the mission. What is it, anyways?" She asked, sitting up again.

"You'll find out tomorrow." Sakura told her, before turning to go. "Well, I just came to check on you, and tell you to be at the hospital by 9 tomorrow for your physical and breifiing." She stopped in the doorway. "You guys only have one more night. Be good." With a slightly devilish grin, she left, and they heard the door slam satisfyingly.

"Ugh, she is such a drag." Kaie said, stealing the boy's words.

"I know." He said, laying down, placing his head in Kaie's lap.

"Well, I guess that means I need to get this place cleaned up properly. And make sure I have my clothes for the mission." She said, with a long sigh. Kaie moved to stand and do said things, but Shikamaru grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back, so she lay on the bed and he could rest his head on her shoulder, an arm draped over her.

"But we were having such a good nap." He justified, his eyes closed.

"Well, we can't just stay in my apartment and take naps for the rest of our life." Kaie said.

"Says who?"

"Says me! This is nice, but it's one of those things you can't do all the time because if it's once in a while, it makes it special." Her mind was slipping back into drowsiness, and she was only mostly aware of her words.

"Well then, let's make this time even more special than the next." Shikamaru said, propping himself up to look into Kaie's eyes.

She cracked an eye to look at him apprehensively. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Ice cream." He said, a tiny smile tickling the corner of his lips.

She opened her eyes and sat up, excited like a little kid. "Chocolate?"

"Chocolate."

"With Peanut Butter?"

"With Peanut Butter."

"And hot fudge?"

"Even hot fudge." He affirmed, watching her excitement with a smile.

"What about a cherry?" She asked.

"I'll make sure you get two."

Kaie squealed and glomped Shikamaru, nearly crushing his ribs in the process. "Yayy! Go Shika!" She cheered, releasing him.

Shikamaru took a deep breath, before standing and offering her his hand. "Well, let's go."

"Wait, now?" She asked, looking down at herself.

"Well, what better way to celebrate the release from our prison?" He asked, picking up a jacket.

"But I look horrible!" She said, seemingly shrinking into the blankets of the bed.

"What a drag," He muttered. "You look fine, besides, it's getting dark, so no one besides me will know it's you." He added logically.

"Fine." She pouted, giving in and standing. "But this better be some good ice cream."

They walked to the front hall and slid into shoes for the first time all week. Their feet slowly adjusted, and soon the pair headed outside, slouchy sweatpants and all.

The wind was blowing and Kaie's hair waved with the gusts, her arms seized up from the cold. "Man, when did it get so cold?" She asked, looking over at Shikamaru.

"Here." He said, tossing the jacket at her.

She managed to catch it and said "Are you sure?"

"That's why I brought it."

Soon, they came to a small booth, and Shikamaru steered Kaie into a niche in a wall, hiding her mostly from the wind. "Stay here."

Kaie was shivering, and nodded.

"Hi, I need two ice creams, chocolate, one with peanut butter and hot fudge, both with whipped cream and a cherry." Shikamaru ordered, looking into the deep tubs of ice cream.

"Here you go." The woman said a few minutes later, handing him two ice cream cones.

Shikamaru returned to Kaie and held one out to her "Here you go."

"Thank you!" Kaie's eyes lit up. No matter how cold she was, ice cream is delicious.

"Here." Shikamaru added, pointing the top of his ice cream at her.

She stared at him blankly. "What?"

"I said I'd get you two cherries."

"You're giving me yours?" She asked, not quite comprehending.

Shikamaru simply stood there, his ice cream still held out to her.

Almost shy, Kaie reached her hand foreword and plucked the bright red ball off the top of the fluffy cream. "Thank you Shika." She said, popping it into her mouth.

He nodded, licking a bit of the cream off the top. She smiled, and leaned in, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek. He blushed slightly but only said "Let's find someplace a bit warmer."

…

_Isn't that insanely sweet? ^_^ Pleaaaassssseeeee review. I wanna know how I am doing so I can make my stories better for you guys, and I like to know my readers! I wanna know who you guys are and what kind of stuff you write!_

_(Or at least PM me. Does anyone even use that anymore? I feel old…)  
>Also- How am I doing on tenses? I am trying to keep them the same, but things get kinda jumbled in my messy brain, so it's better to have someone else tell me. I know I have a lot of notes at the end. Don't hate me ;'(<em>


	7. Leave

_Okay, just because I got TWO whole reviews, and I like you guys, imma give you this next part too. I've been having writers block lately, but I think now I'm motivated to keep going! Right after I finish College shit lol._

…

Kaie opened her eyes, and immediately closed them from the flash of blinding sunlight. She groaned, and rolled over. She heard the boy next to her mumble something about sleeping, and he gripped her around the waist and pulled her in. She smiled slightly, and snuggled into his chest, still squeezing a pillow. Their bodies seemed to fit together so well, and he was just so _warm._ She smiled, and rolled over, so they were nose-to-nose. "Shikamaaaaaruuuu." She sang, taking a bit of her hair and tickling the end of his nose with it.

The boy twitched and scrunched his nose, then cracked one eye open. "What."

"Wake up!" Kaie said brightly, enjoying bothering him.

"Don't wanna." He contracted his arms around her, and cuddled his head into the pillow.

"Gotta."

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh!" Kaie countered. "I have to go meet Tsunade-sama this morning."

"Well, you better get a move on and get dressed." Shikamaru replied, his eyes still closed and gripping her tightly.

"Well, I gotta go take a shower."

"Okay."

Kaie made an attempt to move out of the bed and from under the covers, but found herself pushed back into the mattress, the comforter pulled back over her like a tent. She looked up and found Shikamaru above her, leaning in from the side, his arms caging her in. "You know, you make it very difficult to get out to bed in the morning."

"Well, I think there is something you need to do before you get ready."

"And what is that?"

Shikamaru lowered his head, and kissed her sweetly. His lips lingered but there was nothing pushy about the lazy, slow kiss. Kaie loved it, but refused to admit it, even to herself.

"Can I go shower now?" She asked when he had pulled away.

"Sure." He said, rolling back into his spot in the bed and cocooning the blankets around himself.

Kaie got up and rolled her eyes. She crossed to her dresser and pulled out a huge towel, taking a last glance at the sleeping boy, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, Kaie emerged once again, refreshed and fully awake. She was wrapped in a huge towel, purposely one with no chance of falling off, and her wet hair hung down her back. Rummaging in her drawers, she eventually pulled out a fitted t-shirt and a short skirt along with stretchy leggings. She grabbed some lacy under wear and her comfiest bra, and returned to the bathroom. "Hurry up, I gotta pee." She heard a sleepy voice call after her as she closed the doors.

Chucking softly, she slid into her underwear and slipped the shirt over her bra. Stopping to take a moment to brush her hair, she wondered if she should already be packed for the mission. Deciding she could pack quickly enough, she continued with her task and slid on the leggings and skirt.

A few minutes later, she exited, sliding small hoops through her ears. Shikamaru sat groggily on the edge of the bed and looked up at her. "Well, don't you look fancy."

"Not really, it's just that you've seen me in nothing but triple X's and sweatpants this week." She responded, searching her room for a hairtie. "I thought you had to pee." She added, distractedly.

"Right." He stood and ambled to the bathroom, his t-shirt wrinkled and his hair messy.

Kaie was almost finished getting ready, and she was checking the time when he reappeared, his hair back in its usual ponytail. "Well, what are you planning on doing? She said, moving to the kitchen, knowing he would follow.

"I dunno. I should probably get my stuff around, huh?" he responded, pouring himself a glass of water.

"Might be a good idea." Kaie said, checking the fridge for breakfast.

"That's gonna take a while." He said, grabbing a banana from the counter next to her.

"So you're saying you want to stay here to do that." Kaie said, chomping into some umeboshi and watching him.

"Well, I'm just suggesting it might help. I mean, do you really want me coming over here any time I need a clean pair of socks?"

Kaie only rolled her eyes and grabbed a roll of nori and rice. She headed back into her bedroom, and once again, the boy followed her. She grabbed her wallet and keys off of her dresser and turned to face him. "Whatever. No stealing, don't eat all my food, and no creepy stuff." She said, almost bored. "I'll be back once I'm cleared for the mission. Be good." With that she turned and walked through the house to the front door. She paused to put her shoes on, but found herself swung around.

Shikamaru had grabbed her and pulled her to face him. "Good luck." He said, before pecking her quickly on the lips and disappearing back into the kitchen.

Sighing, Kaie slid into her sandals and headed out the door.

Soon, she was standing in front of the hospital, looking up at the roof. Kaie took a deep breath and continued inside, looking for the secretary. "Excuse me; do you know where Tsunade-sama is? I'm supposed to meet her."

"Oh, of course honey. Kaie, right? She is on the third floor, first door on the right."

"Thank you." With that, Kaie continued up the stairs and made it to the room. She slid open the door, and found an empty examination table and Sakura bending over something on a desk. "Sakura?"

"Oh! Kaie!" She said, jumping up and hugging her friend. "How do you feel?"

"Back to normal." Kaie answered with a smile.

"Good. So, first off, I'm going to start your physical, Tsunade-sama has a meeting, but she will be in to talk to you and explain the mission."

"You know, I can't decide if it's convenient or sucky to have my friend be the top medic in Konoha."

"Technically, that's Tsunade-sama."

"Well, that doesn't count, Hokage trumps medic in my eyes."

Sakura sighed, almost exasperated. "Well, sit down, we need to start."

Kaie sat, and Sakura proceeded with taking her blood pressure, listening to her heart, et cetera. Once she was mostly done, the blonde Hokage made her way into the room."So how is our patient?" she asked, smiling slightly at Kaie.

"She has passed; my only recommendation is to keep track of water consumption so that dehydration is avoided." Sakura recited, standing near the window.

"Good, we need you for this." Tsunade told Kaie.

"What exactly is the mission?"

"Well, it is an attempt to retrieve information from one of our spies in the land of rice paddies. He has been keeping an eye on the citizens of the country, and how they react to news about ninja and Orochimaru. He has also been gathering inside information from other spies closer to the source." Tsunade explained, perching on the desktop. "The problem is that we think he might have been discovered. There is a very high risk that Orochimaru will send people to meet you and possibly attack the spy as well." Tsunade held out a large envelope, inside which was the pictures and information of the spy and Kaie's teammates.

She looked the information over before looking up and asking "What exactly is my specific role in this?"

"Well, as we know, you are a very fast learner, and before you came to the medic program, you already had a good handle on combative jutsu. I am trusting you to stay out of the way. I'm hoping that you will stay hidden from the enemy, making sneak attacks and undisturbed healing possible. This will be your first real mission since gaining your medic certification, and I hope it goes well. You may ask Sakura for any tips, and I know your teammates are very experienced, so you shouldn't have too much trouble." With that, Tsunade stood, nodded her head to the girls, and left, sliding the door shut behind her.

"Whew, no pressure or anything." Kaie commented, rubbing her forehead.

"It's fine, just talk to Mamoru and Tadashi. They are the most experienced on the team, and I am sure on the way there you guys can work out a great strategy." Sakura comforted. "I am sorry, but I have some appointments, and I need to leave. Congratulations on getting better and good luck with your mission." Sakura held her arms open, and Kaie stepped in, squeezing the girl tightly.

"Thanks Sakura." Kaie added, gathering her possessions and following the pink girl out.

…

Kaie unlocked her front door and closed it behind her, leaning against it with a heavy sigh.

"That great, huh?"

She opened her eyes. "No, I passed, it's just that I'm pretty nervous. I seem like the big important secret of this mission, and I haven't done any missions as a medic yet." Kaie answered, pulling her shoes off and walking to Shikamaru near the table.

"Well, eat something before you leave, I made more soup." He urged her. Sighing, Kaie tossed the envelope onto the table with her wallet and keys, and padded to the kitchen. She found a large, aromatic pot steaming on the stove.

"Ooh, smells amazing." She said, turning to grab two bowls. She pulled them down and filled each, before carrying them to the table in the diningroom and saying "And spoons!" over her shoulder to Shikamaru. Soon, he came out with them, and she had settled into one of the chairs, his bowl steaming across from her.

"So, how long do you think you will be gone?" Shikamaru asked as they began eating.

"I dunno. I'm still not completely sure what is going on with it, I only know the basics. Why? Gonna miss me?" Kaie teased.

"I dunno, I might. I mean, what am I going to do with my life if not care for a brainless invalid?"

"Hey! I am not brainless, I'm actually pretty smart!" Kaie defended, waving her spoon at him.

"Well, it definitely wasn't my idea to not eat or drink anything."

"I had just gotten back from a long mission, and had no recovery time. I was here, getting ready to eat some ramen and go to sleep when Sakura dragged me to that party!"

"So what, you wish you hadn't gone?"

Kaie froze when she realized what he was asking. "I never said that."

"So, you're happy about how things turned out?"

Kaie sighed. "I thought you had gotten over this. I don't know, okay? And your actions aren't particularly helping."

"Hn." Shikamaru grunted into his soup. The pair continued their lunch in silence, and soon, the bowls were empty. "Here, let me clean the dishes, you go pack." Shikamaru said, taking the bowls to the kitchen.

Kaie wandered into her room and pulled out her bag. She began rummaging around, shoving things like toothpaste and soap as well as underwear and hair ties into it. She was just looking for her vest when Shikamaru returned. "Vest?" he asked.

"Yea."

"Chair over there." Shikamaru directed, pointing.

"Thanks." She said, grabbing it and adding it, then pausing. "So what, after a week stuck with me, the amazing ninja Nara Shikamaru returns to his job?"

"I guess." His hands were shoved deep into his pockets.

"Well, I'm sure they will be epileptic with joy to see you back."

"I doubt it."

"Whatever." Kaie turned, pulling her favorite black skirt from a drawer and tossing it onto the bed with a fishnet armor shirt and purple tank top. "I think I'm almost ready to go. I think I have to stop by the warehouse to grab some more shuriken though…" She mused.

"Are you leaving now?"

"First thing tomorrow. Why?"

"I was just wondering when I should go home."

"Well, I'm sure your parents are missing you." Instead of answering, Shikamaru took a step closer to Kaie. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I'm just wondering how you will do alone."

"I can survive." She answered irritably. "I have lived alone for quite a while now, you know."

"That's not what I meant." Shikamaru said hurriedly.

"Well, whatever. Just go home and see what Mommy made you for dinner."

"I haven't said goodbye."

"Well, toodle-oo."

Shikamaru took another step closer, his eyes deep in thought, staring into Kaie's glossy ones. "Good luck." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her close. "Come home soon." Kaie closed her eyes, not sure if she anticipated or dreaded what was about to happen. In a moment, she felt his lips on hers. He was doing it again. He threw her senses off balance and made her brain completely useless. She never knew exactly what she wanted or needed when he did this, and her body went on autopilot. As if to prove this fact, her arms seemed to float to hook themselves around his neck, which made him squeeze her tighter to his chest.

Shikamaru pulled his head back, and cradled his head in Kaie's neck, squeezing her almost as tightly as possible. She felt his breath on her neck, and her body seemed to tingle, but for some reason, she didn't even have the thought of moving.

After a moment, he pulled back, still tightly gripping her, but looking into her eyes. "You better come back."

"It's just Orochimaru. No worries." Kaie said with false confidence. Shikamaru had been up against the snake man and knew just what it was like.

"Just come back for me."

Shikamaru leaned forward, not kissing Kaie, but pressing their foreheads together. She looked at him, her body torn between worry and that odd feeling he gave her. The one where she couldn't quite get enough oxygen and her face always felt a bit warmer than usual. He closed his eyes, and she did the same, not wanting him to let her go, knowing the breathless feeling would go away, and all she would be left with was the worry and hopelessness.

She felt his lips on hers again, and she kissed him back hungrily. He managed to squeeze her tighter and he pressed his lips against her, trying to communicate everything he was thinking and couldn't say. She opened her lips slightly, and he deepened the kiss, pushing all of his passion into it. A tear slid down Kaie's cheek, but she continued the kiss, allowing Shikamaru to slide his tongue gently into her mouth.

The kiss wasn't as lusty or hungry as it had been at the beginning of the week. While it was just as deep, and more passionate, it was a kiss of gentle caring and worry. Kaie was sure she would never forget this kiss to her death. It was the first time anyone had shown her that they cared this much, in any way. As the kiss continued, she couldn't help but think that there might be a place with him in Konoha when she returned.

Suddenly, she stopped, her eyes still closed. Shikamaru pulled back, and she could feel him staring at her. She dropped her arms and said "Go."

"But-"

"Just go. Please." Kaie almost pleaded.

"You're crying."

Kaie never once opened her eyes. "Just go home, Shikamaru." Suddenly, she was exhausted, and she just couldn't deal anymore.

Kaie felt the boy hesitate in front of her, but he let her go. He paused to wipe a tear from her cheek with his thumb, then hesitated once more. Suddenly, he gripped her in a huge hug, pulling her tightly to his chest, which only made the tears flow faster. He quickly planted a kiss on the top of her head before letting her go and leaving her standing in the middle of the room, alone.

A moment later, Kaie heard the front door shut, and she broke down. She was alone. Really alone. She had to go on an insanely hard mission with guys she didn't know, and somehow had to come back after fighting with a psychopath who knows an uncountable amount of jutsu.

Her only thought of hope was that Shikamaru might be here waiting for her when she returns, and maybe he would be the same. Maybe he would still kiss her on the nose before she fell asleep and not let her get out of bed in the morning. Maybe. Just maybe. But right now, she needed to suck it up and make sure everything was ready for her mission, and get some sleep.

...

_There ya go. FYI, next chapter doesn't have much Shika in it, but hopefully it won't be too boring. Please Review! Oh, and thank you to the awesome girlies that reviewed for me last time! :D_


	8. The Mission

_I just want you all to know that I am sacrificing my health and grades for you… I have a critical analysis of Hamlet due Friday, and I am sick, but I still stay up late to provide my awesome readers with their story, even though, sadly this part is lacking in Shika-ness…. Anywho- on with the story!_

…

Kaie lay in bed, alone. It was dark, and she had gone to bed a couple hours ago, though she still lay staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts were racing through her head, and any time she tried to clear her mind, another issue would just pop up. She was thinking about the mission at the moment. She worried about whether or not Orochimaru would actually be there himself. She worried that she wouldn't be able to heal her teammates properly. She worried that they wouldn't get any information from the spy, or that they would get him killed. _I can't think about all this._ She urged herself. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind.

Cue worried thoughts about her rent. _Rent?_ _Where did that come from? It's not even due until next month. Though I will have problems paying if this mission fails…_ She couldn't help but think the worst, that's how it always worked. Another deep breath and she rolled over. _I'm gonna go to sleep this time._

Carefully shoving all thoughts about the mission and finances out of her head, Kaie slowly started to fall into an almost-sleep state. She was just at the cusp of unconsciousness when she felt something brush across her ankle. Smiling contently, she made a little noise and cuddled deeper into the blankets.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. _Wait a minute, Shikamaru went home. _She sat bolt upright and looked around quickly. Her hand was halfway to the kunai on her bedside when she realized there was no one else in the room. Sure she had locked the door, and not sensing any weirdos or murderers, she laid back down, trying to make her heart return to its usual rhythm. _It was just the blanket or the breeze… _She reminded herself, closing her eyes and forcing her mind into oblivion.

…

The next morning, Kaie felt a ray of sun across her face. Groaning loudly, she rolled over and pulled the blankets across her face. "I don't wanna." She whined out loud, before realizing that she really didn't want to stay here either. She groaned again, but flung the blankets off of her, before sitting up and looking around.

Her brain function-less for a minute or two, she simply stared, shivering slightly at the cool air after the warmth of her blankets. She looked at the clock and realized she had about two hours before she had to leave. _Good, I need time to close up the house._ She yanked herself out of the bed and commenced her morning rituals, soon returning with her teeth brushed, hair twisted in a messy bun atop her head, and her face washed.

She made the bed, replacing the sheets she had from her sick week with crisp new ones, and covering the bed with the comforter once more. Sighing, she turned around to look at the room again. She walked to the bathroom, gathered the last toiletries she would need, and then tossed them into her bag. After a long yawn, she walked to the kitchen, massaging her head and finally pulling her hair up again so she could pull out a box of cereal.

After situating herself with her bowl and milk, Kaie perched on the countertop, watching the sky outside the window and eating her cereal. So far, she had managed to occupy her mind, and worry hadn't set in too deep, but she could feel herself waking up and knew she needed a distraction.

Once her cereal was done, Kaie hopped down, washed her bowl quickly, then returned to her bedroom and bent over the stereo. A few seconds later, loud dance music blared through the apartment, and she began to dance, heading into the livingroom.

Dancing and singing loudly through the flat, Kaie managed to give everything a clean sweep, and soon everything was locked up and it was time to get dressed.

She stripped down and began her pre-mission prep. First, she slid into her softest underwear and the bra she kept especially for missions. Continuing with her layers, she pulled on a short sleeve fishnet top, as well as a sleek pair of black shorts to about her mid thighs, just in case. Then, she slid into a black tank top and a knee-length skirt with slits up the sides. She shook out her hair so it cascaded down her back and wrapped her forehead protector around her right ankle, tying it tightly. She returned to the bathroom, and swept lash stain across her eyelashes, making them look longer and darker. Taking a look at herself, she ruffled her hair a bit, then turned to leave, before stopping and remembering her vest and holster. She exited and grabbed the vest, pulling it on and wrapping the bandages and holster around her thigh.

Deciding she was ready, she grabbed her bag, draped it across her shoulder and switched the music off before heading to the front door. She paused, realizing she was hungry. Knowing she had a bit of extra time, Kaie decided to stop at the bakery along the way for a sweet bun or something of the like. With that, she set out, locking the door behind her.

Within 5 minutes, Kaie had reached the bakery and came back out holding two steaming buns in a napkin in front of her. She continued down the road, and blew on the treats before she bit into one. Looking around, there wasn't much of anyone she knew, it being late enough where ninjas were either training or sleeping in.

Finally, she made it to the main gates, and after nodding to the ninjas standing guard, Kaie moved to lean against the wall, relishing her second sweet bun. She opened her eyes after a delicious bite to find three men standing in front of her, looking her over. "Oh. Hello." She said, quickly swallowing.

"Are you Numasawa Kaie?" The one with a goatee asked, looking her over harshly. His eyes paused on her skirt, her long hair and her dark eyelashes. He frowned slightly, and Kaie stood up straight, staring him down. She had pride in her femininity, and would never give it up.

Kaie wasn't too impressed with this burly man in front of her. He looked like a grumpy moron.

"Who are you?"

"I am Tadashi, and I will be heading this team."

Kaie snorted imperceptibly before turning to the men to his left and smiling sweetly. "Hi, I'm Kaie, how are you?"

"I'm Jirou, and this is Mamoru." A tall man with messy brown hair and a scar across his cheek answered, smiling back. Kaie sensed something odd in his smile, but turned to smile to the other man, Mamoru. He was blonde, and seemed rather quiet, which could be a huge asset.

"Well, shall we get going?" Tadashi asked, turning to the gates.

"Where exactly are we going?" Kaie asked Tadashi's back. "Tsunade-sama told me I would learn everything from you guys." Tadashi simply continued to walk, and she turned to the other two, her face a mixture of irritation and confusion. "What, is he pissed off because I wear a skirt?" She asked the boys, who laughed.

"Nah, Tad's just kinda pissy, especially since we woke him up. He will be fine in a while, and we will let you know what's going on." Jirou said, smiling and pulling her gently after Tadashi.

"I warn you, Tadashi seems to think that women are not as competent in the ninja field." Mamoru said, walking on Kaie's left.

"Oh. Uhm, well I guess as long as he doesn't, like, hurt me or be a full-out jackass to me, I just have to suck it up and deal, right?" She asked, her eyes boring into his back.

"Trust me, we all have to." Jirou said, only half-joking.

"Well, I'll prove him girls can be ninjas just as well, maybe better." Kaie said, her stride taking on an air of pride and femininity.

The boys exchanged a look behind her back, but continued following her, not sure where this mission was going to end up.

…

It took a couple days to reach the land of rice paddies and it was now dusk, so the team had decided to set camp for the night right along the border. They had built a cheerful fire and had their sleeping bags rolled out, ready for some sleep when Kaie decided that she was fed up. Mamoru and Jirou had explained the situation to her, but there had been no talk of strategy, and anytime she asked, Tadashi had either ignored her or told her she would find out later.

Kaie sat staring into the fire for a while, trying to decide the best plan of attack to actually receive an answer from the man. Finally, she decided to be blunt. "Okay, So we are right at the border, what are we going to do when we actually meet the guy?" she asked, looking across the fire at Tadashi.

The man looked up from what he was reading to find Kaie staring at him expectantly. "I will decide that when we get there." He looked back down.

"Will all due respect, don't you think that we should at least have some kind of backup plan? A meeting spot so I can heal you guys if anything happens?" She was almost pleading, knowing that if they didn't go into this with a plan, the chances of someone getting hurt were much higher than usual. "I mean, Tsunade-sama told me that I would be staying back while you guys met them, that way they don't know we have a medic, as well as there is a wild card, and if needed, I could help with a surprise attack or something."

Tadashi had been looking into his lap while Kaie spoke, though he didn't seem to be reading anymore. Finally he looked up, and she was still looking at him. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Okay, so we have a designated meeting spot, right?" She looked at the other men as well. "Well, let's work out a hidden spot downwind I can stay. That way you guys know where to meet, and I can keep an eye on you guys."

"That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Jirou said, looking at Mamoru and Tadashi.

"I like it." Mamoru added.

"We will find a spot for base once we near the meeting area tomorrow," Tadashi said, rolling up his papers. "For now, let's get some sleep. We will need it." With that, he laid down and pulled his blanket across him.

Jirou shrugged at Kaie, and nodded to Mamoru who was half tucked-in already, and did the same, leaving Kaie to sit staring into the fire with the other men around her.

Thinking logically, her mission was about a third of the way over already. She simply had to make it through the actual meeting, praying that Orochimaru didn't show up and be ready to heal anyone if there was a scuffle. Then all that was left was the trip home. After that, she could eat all the ramen she wanted and sleep all day if she really liked. That is, until Tsunade sent her on another mission.

Sighing heavily, Kaie slid down into her bag and plumped her pillow to support her head properly, before sliding into a deep slumber.

…

The next morning, the camp was packed up quickly, and the sun had barely burned the dew off the grass when the quartet was racing through the treetops. The men weren't much for conversation in the morning, except Jirou, he always liked talking, especially to Kaie. However, Kaie herself wan't much for friendly banter at the moment. She kept running scenarios and her reaction to them through her head, hoping to be ready for everything. Almost compulsively, she kept checking her pouch for her shuriken and her remedies, always finding she had a full supply.

Soon, she noticed Tadashi slowing down, and stopped her momentum on a large branch, her hair fluttering into stillness around her. "Is this it?" She asked, somewhat thinking it would be a bit more impressive.

"That is." Tadashi pointed.

"The clearing?" Jirou asked, squinting into the distance.

"Yes, that is where we need to be at 11 this morning. Thankfully we have made good time and aren't too rushed. Now all we need is a good spot for a base camp, where Kaie can stay."

Kaie closed her eyes for a moment, sensing the wind. "That way." She said, pointing to the right. "I need to be downwind."

Tadashi conceded, and they moved, though Kaie could sense irritation.

"Hey, this is a nice spot." Jirou pointed out, looking down to see a small creek with large rocks and a small expanse of grass. "How is this for the wind?" He asked.

Kaie sniffed and looked around. "It's fine." She said with a small smile.

"Good, cuz I am parched." said Mamoru, shedding his taciturn nature for a moment, and hopping down to sip water from the clear creek.

The other teammates followed, and soon they had set up a small camp. It could be taken down easily, and didn't look like much, but it would do. Kaie settled herself on a large flat rock that had been warmed by the sun and slipped her sandals off, dipping her toes into the chilly water. She hummed happily then turned to the men. "So when exactly is it that you are supposed to meet?"

Jirou was up to his knees in the water and seemed to be trying to pull up a stubborn water plant. He looked over at her, then at Tadashi, waiting for an answer.

"Well, it seems to be about ten o'clock." Tadashi began, standing from his spot. "So we have about two hours, we should head out about noon so we can set up precautionary surveillance."

"Well, You guys should try and sleep a bit more. I'll see what I can make for food, you will need you energy and strength." Kaie said, standing again. She set to rolling out sleeping bags and searching through the supplies for food options. The men simply watched her. "What?" She asked, stopping to look back at them. "I am the medic here, so I am trying to make sure the next time I see you guys there is no blood involved." She went back to starting a fire. "And no comments about women." She added, scowling. Jirou and Mamoru shrugged at each other and flopped down onto their respective blankets, settling in for a nap. Tadashi continued to watch Kaie, he had an odd look and Kaie couldn't quite tell what it meant. "You will need rest too." She said, straightening. "Maybe more than they do." Kaie had the feeling that he was the type to rush into a battle, assuming he was better without assessing the opponent's skills. She wasn't really looking forward to sitting alone waiting to find out what was going on, but it was her orders, so she had to deal.

Glaring at him a bit more, Tadashi finally laid down, and soon enough Kaie heard his breath even out into a shallow murmur. Taking a deep breath, Kaie set next to the fire, ready to play housewife.

…

A few hours later, the men were rested and sat happily with full bellies. Kaie had whipped up an amazing fish stew and once they tasted it, Jirou and Mamoru were tripping over themselves to ask for more. Jirou, being the talkative one, asked where she learned to cook, and Kaie admitted that she had spent excruciatingly horrendous summers with her grandmother who forced her tips and tricks on her. She was about halfway through her complaining spiel, trying to avoid her current family problems, when she caught Tadashi quietly helping himself to more stew. She smiled and continued, declining when Jirou asked to hear more about her family.

"Time to head out." Tadashi said brusquely, standing once everyone was done.

"Be safe, and don't come back to me with cuts and bruises." Kaie directed, standing herself and collecting the dishes for washing.

With that, the men shot into the trees, heading toward the meeting sight. Kaie took a deep breath and began to wash the dishes. It was pretty hot, so she waded into the water, cooling herself off. She sniffed the air, hoping to find a comfortable spot to wait, but still needing a strong breeze.

After a short dip, Kaie once again laid out on the warm rock. She began to think, which immediately sent her mind racing. She had to sort out her mind, and soon it settled on her family. The warm sun made her think of the farm, and she had a pang of longing that was, until she remembered what it was like. She loved her family, but it was just so boring. She hated the animal chores and the weeding and the long days. What she wanted was adventure, and new places. Kaie longed for romance and a family, preferably one that didn't involve turnips. Romance, logically, turned her mind to Shikamaru, and she smiled unconsciously. He somehow made her feel warm, even if she was freezing, and just being near him made her feel like she was on a taxing mission with famous enemies and a great purpose, even if all she was doing was the dishes. She didn't know how, but he made her feel everything she had wanted as a little girl on the farm, simply by looking at her.

Kaie slipped into a nap, and suddenly woke up with a jolt once she realized she had been asleep. She sat up quickly and looked around. Everything looked the same, and her next move was to sniff the air.

She smelled something tangy and metal, as well as another substance. It smelled almost like a lightning storm, and it gave her goosebumps if she concentrated on it. She opened her eyes quickly. She knew those smells. Blood and Chakra. There was a battle going on, and she needed to be ready when they got back. She glanced at the sky to see what time it was, and she registered somewhere around twosih. Chances are that this had been going on anywhere from a few minutes to nearly an hour, and she was worried, mostly because she had been stupid enough to fall asleep.

Quickly double-checking her supplies, Kaie settled back onto the rock, trying to calm down and relax. She held her hands together, parallel to the ground, and closed her eyes. She thought about her chakra and gathered it in her throat, ready to blow it out. Once it had gathered, she blew her chakra into the wind, letting it spread, but retaining a tie to her. Using this tie, she could push her chakra against the wind current, and soon had reached the clearing where the meeting was taking place. She carefully spread her chakra across the space and around all the objects. Sending a sudden wave of chakra, she froze the picture, and allowed the wind to carry it back to her. Once the chakra had returned to Kaie, she absorbed the new form and she could see the entire scene frozen behind her eyelids.

Jirou was in an attack stance, a shuriken halfway between him and a ninja Kaie didn't recognize. She could also see Mamoru standing calmly near the trees, seemingly spewing water from his bellybutton. He had knocked down another ninja and Tadashi was knife-to-fist with a third. She hoped that was all of them, but she decided to check just in case.

Closing her eyes once more, Kaie did the same, this time expanding the radius to reach from the battleground to where she sat. It seemed as though Tadashi, Jirou and Mamoru were holding their own, and thankfully Kaie didn't see any other enemies heading towards her. She opened her eyes and was considering moving closer, but she remember Tadashi's insistence on waiting for the signal. _Shit. I don't know what the signal is… I forgot to make sure it was something we agreed on._ Kaie mentally punched herself, but she decided to keep put. Instead, she contented herself with sending her chakra out and allowing the wind to carry it back to her in a choppy stream.

Kaie watched as Mamoru's opponent seemed to drown. He lay, flailing for a moment, and she moved her attention to Jirou. He was holding his own, and the other had many slices and stabs across his body. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and wouldn't let Mamoru help.

Kaie turned her gaze to Tadashi and found him in a hard battle with a sound ninja. He seemed to be grunting with the effort, and as she watched, his movements became more sluggish. _He is getting tired._ she observed, almost angry with him. Her attention returned as she saw the enemy's kunai sink into Tadashi's leg. She winced, and prayed that Mamoru would jump in to help. Almost immediately, he did, and she sighed when she saw him knock the enemy over with a giant wave erupting from the ground. Tadashi stood again, and he pulled a shuriken out, sending it spinning towards the wet man. It missed, but seemed to have a trail of energy behind it that knocked the man down again. Jirou finished his opponent with a knee in the stomach and a kunai to the back and turned, smiling. He wanted to make sure the others had seen his finish, but saw Tadashi leaning against a tree, holding his stomach and balancing on one leg. He rushed over, clotheslining the ninja that was left, before it was engulfed in a spinning ball of water. Jirou held Tadashi up and said something. Tadashi shook his hand, but Jirou glanced at Mamoru, who had dropped the ninja and come over to join them. They spoke a moment, then leapt into the trees. Kaie knew they would soon be heading her way, so she released the jutsu and stood, pulling bandages out of her kit.

In a few moments, the men had returned, and Jirou and Mamoru had managed to deposit Tadashi in the grass near Kaie, and she set to examining him with her chakra. She soon had healed the stab wound in his leg, but had found internal bleeding. She sighed, sitting back and pushing her hair out of her face. "Uhm, Mamoru, do me a favor and grab some water for Tadashi." She asked, and he proceeded to fill up the cup she held out.

Kaie helped tadashi prop himself up, leaning on one of the rolled up sleeping bags. "Tadashi?" He looked up at her. "It turns out you have some internal bleeding. Your leg should be fine in a few days, but as far as I can tell right now, with regular healing at the hospital it will take at least a week to heal." The man groaned and made a move to sit up. "No. Stop. I'm not sure how it happened, but this is pretty bad." She pushed him back down and handed him the cup with water. "Here drink this. I can't do much more right now, but if we head out soon, I can help heal along the way, and hopefully get you back to the hospital where you can rest." She stood. "Now let's take a look at you boys."

Mamoru was nearly perfect, and Jirou only had a few minor cuts, and it was time to head out. They packed up the camp, and Mamoru and Jirou each took one of Tadashi's arms over their shoulders, ready to try for home.

"Okay. You guys let me know if you notice anything weird or different. I'll go first to do some surveillance. We will find a good place for camp tonight, and then the same tomorrow." She jumped onto a large branch above her head and the men behind her did the same.

Only having a few hours of daylight left, they made it a couple miles before they had to make camp. Kaie healed Tadashi a bit more as best she could, then urged them all to fall asleep. The next day, they headed out again, and she heard the whole story. She heard about how they had been met with the three ninja instead of the spy, and they had heard that the spy was dead. Thankfully, they didn't seem to know much about his other connections, so they were going to have Tsunade look that up a bit later. They stopped again that night, and Tadashi didn't seem to be getting any better. Kaie was worried, but she did the best she could. He needed real hospital care, not some medical ninja on the road. She tried to make sure the others didn't figure out that she was worried, but she did say they needed to get a move on getting back to Konoha.

They made good time, and were on the main road to Konoha by morning the next day. They walked into the town, relieved that they were finally home, and headed straight for the hospital. Kaie had a medic call for Tsunade so they could deliver their report, and soon she had arrived.

"Tsunade-sama. Thank you for coming. We just had to get Tadashi here so we could fix him." Jirou said, standing when she entered.

"That's fine. What is wrong with him?" Tsunade turned her gaze to Kaie.

"Oh. Uhm, well, he had a severe stab wound in the right leg, but that seems to be mostly healed by now. The main problem was that he has internal bleeding. I'm not sure what caused it, but it doesn't seem to want to be healed. I have been healing him twice a day since the fight, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to be getting much better."

Tsunade looked down at the man in the bed. She moved over and held her hands over his abdomen, searching through him with her Chakra. "He needs an IV, and set up a room for surgery." She told the medic standing near the door, and he left. "Now, report, so we can fix you up."

…

_There, the entire mission in one chapter. The real drama starts next time, and if I get enough reviews I will try to get that next part out before the weekend ;) So go review! 3_

_(And don't worry, I was as bored as you are for this section.)_


	9. Emptiness

_Just because I love you all soo much :)_

_And also, I'm pretty sure you all know this, but I don't own Naruto… I don't even own Shika *goes to pout in a corner* I've been slacking on that, so this also applies to all earlier chapters ^_^_

…

About an hour later, Kaie leaned on the wall outside the hospital. They had given their report, and her new orders for now were to lay low in the village. She was allowed to help out at the academy, but not much else. Tadashi was on the way to the O.R. at the moment, and Jirou and Mamoru were supposed to stay overnight for observation. They had a meeting the next day with Tsunade for post-mission briefing and a strategy session. Kaie took a deep breath and let it out in a really long sigh. With another deep breath, she pushed off the wall and headed down the sidewalk. She was headed home, and couldn't wait to flop onto her fluffy bed.

Her mind wandered as she walked, and it went from some hot ramen to a fluffy bed to waking up and cuddling to a hot shower, to cuddling in bed watching anime. She smiled slightly as she walked down the streets, headed for the grocery store.

Fifteen minutes later, Kaie exited the grocery store, munching happily on strawberry pocky. Her plan was to head home, then call Shikamaru to see if he wanted to come watch TV. Hopefully that would turn into a lot of sleep and cuddling. She was running through scenarios of the next morning when she turned the corner and froze. It was all she could do to avoid dropping her bag and she quickly scurried back around the wall, leaning on the stone building next to her.

He was there. Shikamaru was standing in the middle of the street, talking, probably about the academy. But she was there too. Temari stood talking to him, her hand was on her hip and she was obviously smiling in that I-like-you way.

…

Kaie felt her heart chipping into tiny pieces, but she knew she had to make it home. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, took a deep breath and headed out. She put one foot in front of the other, staring straight ahead, and swishing her hips. Her skirt and hair waved gracefully in the breeze, and she stuck another pocky into her mouth, munching on it cooly.

"Oh, hey Kaie." She heard Shikamaru say as she walked past. A few steps later, she turned.

"Oh. Hey, Shikamaru."

"I guess you're back from your mission, huh?"

"Yea, headed home so I can crash." She said with a smile, then turned and walked away. Shikamaru watched her, his next words carried away by the breeze and Kaie's emotions. She continued walking, careful not to falter or look back. Once she had reached the end of her road and thought she was out of sight, she slumped a bit and her gait lost its confidence, but she continued, and soon made it to her apartment. She fumbled with her keys and managed to unlock the door, walking in and kicking it shut behind her. She dropped the bag on her table, then backtracked and bolted the door.

Kaie felt empty, and she needed to do something. The still logical part of her knew she needed a distraction or else she would break down over something completely pointless. _Shower._ She thought. As she walked to the bathroom, she pulled her clothes off and threw them on her floor. She flipped the water on and stood waiting for the steam to fill the room before hopping in and letting the warm water run over her. She sighed and sank to sit on the floor, letting the steamy water beat on her head. Her hair was sticking to her face and the water tasted a bit salty, but she didn't care. All Kaie saw was Shikamaru standing in the road with Temari. She had always liked Temari, they were a lot alike, and she wasn't even mad at her. She was simply empty. She had resisted Shikamaru's affection and her own feelings for a while, but before she left, she had been prepared to come back to what they had been like before. She had been hoping that he would be the same and he would still be there. _I guess a week was too long. Ugh. _She thought, disgusted with both her herself and the boy.

After a while of general moping, Kaie decided to get out of the shower. She dried off and yanked on a cotton sundress, not wanting to bother with clothes. She wandered blindly into the kitchen, looking for something to shove into her mouth, hoping to sate the emptiness. As she walked across the dining room, she found something on the floor near the door. It looked like a note. She crouched to pick it up, then checked the spyhole, seeing an empty hallway.

Returning to the kitchen, she unfolded it and saw a lazy scrawl across the page

_Wanna grab some Ice Cream? I'll be back at 6._

_ Shika_

Everything rushed back. "He probably just wants to take Temari and shove her in my face." She said, out loud, crumpling the note and dropping it on the floor. She grabbed a box of cookies and stomped into her bedroom, glad she had changed the sheets so she couldn't smell him. "Nasty bastard." She muttered, shoving a cookie into her mouth and punching the remote grumpily to turn the TV on.

Kaie was almost comatose. She could move and function, but her brain just didn't work. It's not that her life was over; she just needed a day or two to get over her almost-to-be relationship and readjust her view of the world. She was still alone and strong like always. She sat, staring at the television and stuffing her face. She only stopped when she ran out of cookies. Looking down at the empty box, she groaned and threw it across the room. Deciding she really did need sleep, Kaie flopped sideways and wrapped the blankets around herself securely. After a few minutes of forcing herself to concentrate on watermelon, she managed to fall asleep.

Thump thump thump. Kaie cracked her eyes and looked around. Nothing was attacking, so she closed them again and tried for sleep. _Bang Bang Bang. _She sat up and looked around. Catching sight of her clock, it said 6:05. _Dammit._ She thought, then flopped down and pulled the pillow and blankets over her head. After what seemed like eons, she was asleep again.

The next day, Kaie didn't leave her apartment. She laid around all day and watched tv, specifically avoiding anything anime-related, and eating anything she could get her hands on. Around 1:00 she realized that she had a meeting with Tsunade and managed to put her hair up and pull a sweater over her dress. Grabbing her keys and wallet and sliding into flipflops, she shoved sunglasses onto her face and headed out.

Kaie did her best to not look like herself, afraid she would see Shikamaru, or more like he would see her. Eventually, after a few back roads and alleys, she made it to the Hokage's tower. She entered and knocked on the door, waiting for the answer. In a few moments she heard "Come in!" and she opened the door. She flipped her sunglasses onto the top of her head and looked around. Tsunade sat at the large desk, petting Tonton on her lap. Shizune stood behind her with a stack of papers, and Tadashi and Mamoru sat next to Jirou who smiled at her when she walked in. She smiled slightly back and leaned on the wall by the door, sliding her wallet into the pocket in her sweater.

"Okay, before, you guys told me what happened. Now we are going to talk about what we will do about it." Tsunade announced. "It seems like the spy was already dead when you met with the enemy. Obviously now the team you met with are dead, and the question is if they were the ones to kill the spy. If they were, there might be a chance that Orochimaru doesn't know the spy is dead. We are working on contacting our other allies to find this information out. I decided to have team Tadashi stay for the strategy meeting so that you could add anydetails you have picked up." Tsunade had barely finished her last word when there was a rapping on the door. "Come in." She commanded, and the door swung open. "Oh, good timing, Shikamaru."

Kaie froze for a split second, then began to tremble and get warm. She quickly stood up straight before adjusting her dress and deciding to lean against the wall once more. She examined her nails coolly and was sure not to look up.

As the meeting continued, a few more jonin showed up and they discussed many different strategies with Shikamaru and Tsunade. Kaie didn't catch much of it, because she spent her time trying to breathe and not turn red. Within the next hour, her nails were definitely clean, her hair had been put up and taken down numerous times, and she had gone through everything in her wallet. Twice. Somehow, no one had noticed enough of her distractions to say anything, and she didn't have much to contribute anyways.

After an hour or so, Tsunade dismissed everyone except Kaie's team. "The attack was much better than it could have been. I am glad Kaie was not needed as a mini-ambush, but I am very thankful she was there, as it is likely Tadashi would not be here, and you boys would have had a lot more problems. Thank you Kaie, you can go home now." Tsunade gave her a small smile and Kaie bowed slightly before exiting.

Once she was outside again, Kaie flipped her sunglasses onto her face and looked around. She felt like something to eat, and Sakura had said something about meeting. She headed towards Sakura's house, hoping they could chat for a while. She was sick of the moping and the emptiness, and she needed some kind of distraction. About a block down the road, Kaie felt someone following her. She took a breath and leapt to the roof. She looked down and didn't see anyone suspicious. Out of the corner of her eye, Kaie saw something dark moving towards her. Jumping to the next roof she looked back to find Shikamaru, his shadow stretched towards her.

Kaie's instincts kicked in, and right now, she was the hunted. She gripped her keys tightly and crouched, propelling herself across the rooftops of Konoha. She had forgotten about Sakura and was only thinking about escaping and going home. She was close. She could see the roof of her building, but he was gaining on her. She didn't even know what she was running from, but she had to keep running. Finally, she made it to her building and dropped down, landing lightly on the doorstep.

It was almost sunset; prime time for shadows. Unfortunately, Shikamaru had taken advantage of this, and Kaie froze, her hand halfway to the handle.

"Why are you running?" The familiar voice made her belly jell-o and her heart flutter uncomfortably.

"I just want to go home." She was made to turn around, and she found herself facing Shikamaru.

"Don't you want something for dinner? And I didn't think your home route involved so many rooftops usually."

"I decided to change it." She might be forced to move the way he said, but she still didn't have to look at him.

"You know, if you didn't want ice cream, we could have gone for something different."

"That's not it."

"Well then, what is?"

"I don't have anyone to bring with me for the date with you guys."

Shikamaru stared at her blankly. He was completely lost. "Us guys? Why would you need someone to bring?"

"Well, since you were bringing Temari, I thought I should bring someone too."

"Who said I was bringing Temari?" Shikamaru was baffled and his face showed it. His usual lazy, cool expression was replaced with angled eyebrows and his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Well, it was a logical conclusion." Kaie stated. Shikamaru dropped his arms, allowing her to do the same. "What? It was! Remember? I was there yesterday."

"The only time I saw you yesterday was when I was escorting Temari to the Academy."

"Didn't look like escorting to me."

"What did it look like?" Kaie was still avoiding Shikamaru's eyes. She didn't answer, and after a few minutes he asked again. "What exactly did you think was going on?"

"I don't know. But I know that look on her face. Now, let me go, I know you're getting tired." She had been struggling, and his hold was weakening.

"I have something to do first." Shikamaru stepped closer to her. "There is nothing between me and Temari, and there won't be." He leaned in to kiss her, but he couldn't hold Kaie anymore and her head swung out of the way. His lips connected with her cheek and he nearly lost balance, releasing the jutsu. As he was regaining composure, Kaie swung the door open and dashed up the stairs. She quickly unlocked her door and took refuge in her apartment.

…

_A couple notes:_

_First, I am sick and exhausted, so please excuse any errors I missed in my last edit, or actually, message them to me and I will fix them later._

_I do not hate Temari in any way, shape, and/or form. She is actually one of my favorite kunoichi, and also my favorite Shika pairing; I just really like writing OC's… makes the story feel a bit more mine. So please don't hate me, cuz I still love you all. :)_

_Review, Review, Review! _


	10. Birthday?

_Thank you all my reviewers, I luff you mucho!_

…

BAM BAM BAM "Kaie, Let me in!" Sakura shrieked, pounding on the door. "I know you're in there, and I know something is wrong! Shikamaru even asked me to check on you."

"What does he care?"

"He does! Just let me in and we can talk like normal people, the neighbors are staring!"

"What? Forget I gave you a key?" Kaie walked across the dining room.

Soon the door swung open and Sakura rushed in, dumping a bag on the table. "Oh, honey. You look horrible!"

"Gee, thanks, Sakura."

"Well, don't worry, I am here to fix that!" She announced brightly.

Kaie rolled her eyes, then walked to the kitchen for some water.

"Would you rather have it here or at my house? Or, actually I think the Sunas are here this week, at least Temari…. Maybe Kankuro?" Sakura mused.

"What are you talking about?" Kaie returned from the kitchen.

"Your party! Duh!" Kaie saw a pile of candy, paper plates, napkins and wrapping paper sitting on her table.

"Why do I have a party?"

"It's your birthday!"

"It is?" Kaie wandered to the calendar on her wall. Her birthday was definitely that Saturday. "I don't want a party."

"Oh, come on!"

"I'm serious, Sakura. I know your parties, and the last one didn't turn out to great for me."

"But-"

"No. If you guys wanna do something, next week we can have a girl's night and go out for sushi or something."

"So, it's kind of a party anyways."

"I guess, but no loud music or boys or sexy games." Kaie fixed her friend with her stare.

"But I got all this stuff…"

"I don't care, you will use it for your next party."

"Well, can we do it the weekend after instead of this weekend, when you feel better?"

Kaie didn't look at her friend. "Come on, Sakura."

"You know, he really did call me to check that you were okay. He said you were ignoring his calls and not answering the door."

"Well, he probably just wanted to make sure I wasn't sick again so he would get in trouble with Tsunade."

"That's not true and you know it." Sakura had left her convincing, slightly-whining tone behind and now spoke to her friend seriously, her voice soothing but firm. "You know, he really doesn't like Temari. And after you said something, he even said that to her so she wouldn't think something was going on that wasn't."

"It doesn't matter, he never liked me in the first place. I'm too bothersome for him."

"Don't you see? That's exactly what he needs! If he didn't have a girl to keep him busy and on his toes, he would spend all day everyday watching clouds and taking naps, occasionally with a snack from Choji. I talked to Ino, and she has to worry about her teammates almost as much as I do. She is afraid Choji will get sick because of his weight, and she is worried about Shikamaru. I mean, he is a genius, but he has no motivation. He had motivation from Asuma, but that has dwindled, and he doesn't do much besides what he has to." Sakura had finished her monologue and stood staring at Kaie, who was examining the wood of her table.

"Come on, Sakura. Just leave me alone."

"Fine. I will leave, but you are coming to lunch with us Saturday. You haven't seen Hinata for ages, and Tenten says she has a cute present for you. Probably a pink kunai, but still. Everyone is excited to get together, and celebrate. If you are not ready to go by noon, we will use all of our combined skills to get you out of bed, done up, and out to lunch. And you will enjoy it." Sakura's glare bore into Kaie's brain, and she finally nodded.

"Okay. Noon? Saturday?"

"Yes. Just us girls." Sakura smiled, then moved to her friend, hugging her tightly. "Get better, okay? I know it hurts, but you can do this. You have been through much worse, and we are all here for you. I'll even bring chocolate and strawberry pocky for you." She smiled again, really hoping Kaie would feel better.

"Okay, I will see you then. Actually, wannna go for a walk tomorrow? I've eaten like, fifteen boxes of cookies in the past two days, and I feel gross."

"Sure, sounds like fun. How does ten sound? In the park?"

"Awesome. Thank you, Sakura."

"No problem." Sakura left, and Kaie slumped into a chair. It was time she got herself together. She needed to find something to do with herself, and sitting around wasn't helping. She suddenly got up and headed into her room. She was going to paint. She hadn't done it in forever and she missed it. Pulling out an old picture of the mountains around her grandparent's farm, she decided on watercolors and filled a jar with water. She opened her window wide and set her small tray table on the fire escape outside it, then sat, her feet dangling out of the window. She tuned her stereo to a quick-paced pop channel, and set to work.

…

An hour later, Kaie leaned back to stretch her back. She looked around and realized that the sky was beginning to darken. She took a deep breath and decided to head in, and maybe go to sleep. She still felt exhausted.

Soon, everything was set on the table in a corner, readily available for the next day. Kaie pulled her pants off and yanked her bra off before sliding between the sheets, ready for some cheesy reality TV and sleep.

Another hour and Kaie was sleeping almost peacefully, colorful light flashing across her face.

…

The next morning, Kaie woke up a bit early. She had a while until she had to leave to meet Sakura, so she decided to make blueberry muffins. Trying to stick to the healthy idea, she added protein powder, and switched some of the butter for applesauce.

Soon enough, there were six large fluffy muffins sitting on the counter, wafting their deliciousness through the apartment. Kaie entered the kitchen, wearing a t-shirt and shorts and carrying her necessities. She pushed her hair back with a headband and twisted her Konoha headband around her wrist, deciding that a walk in the park counted as training. She chose the two biggest muffins and shoved them into a paper bag, before heading out, her keys jingling happily as she exited the building.

…

"Hey, I brought breakfast!"

Sakura turned around, hearing her friend. "Oh! Good, I grabbed some onigiri, but I am starving!" she grabbed the muffin held out to her and hungrily tore a chunk off, shoving it into her mouth. She gave Kaie an amazed look and after swallowing, said "Oh my god, did you make these?"

"Yea, extra protein and low fat."

"Really? They're amazing!"

"Oh, thanks!" Kaie responded, brightening. The girls began their walk, quietly watching the people and plants and devouring the yummy muffins.

"So, how are things going down at the tower?" Kaie asked.

Sakura turned her head, where she could see the top of the Hokage's tower from their path. "Not too bad… Training, as usual, and lots of studying. There is so much I don't know still!" Sakura's eyes had lit up as she talked about learning more medical ninjutsu and this made Kaie smile. She was glad to see that her friend had something that she was passionate about. Kaie felt the same, but not at the moment. At the moment all she wanted was to lay in bed and cuddle. For days. But she couldn't, so she just had to focus on her training.

As their walk continued, the girls ended up at the hospital, and decided to do a bit of volunteer work, especially so Sakura could show Kaie a new technique. The girls were working on broken bones when a nurse on call came in. "Girls, you know it's getting a bit late. You can go home."

They looked up, at each other, then out of the window to see the sky darkening, the sun low against the horizon. "Oh, well we probably should." Sakura said, standing and stretching. "That should be good in a couple weeks, but make sure you let the nurses know if anything bothers you." She directed the man in the bed they had been working on. "Come on Kaie, let's grab some takoyaki then head home."

…

Kaie was once again alone in her apartment. _Maybe I should get a cat or something… _She tossed her stuff onto the table by her bed, then jumped in the shower, washing off and beginning her preparations for her lunch date tomorrow.

Once she had returned to the rest of the house, she felt a warm breeze through the open window and stood, enjoying the brush of air past her skin. She smiled, then moved to brush her hair and hop into bed. As she fell asleep, she made a mental list of things she needed to do tomorrow. _Call mom… Clean a bit… I should probably make cookies as a thank-you for the girls…. And I should probably train some, but I don't feel lik…._

…

Kaie woke to a soft tinkling outside her window. The breeze was blowing the sweet smell of the flowers and grass through the wind chime and into her open window. She smiled and stretched, then cuddled back into the blankets. She was relaxed and happy she didn't have to do much. She flipped the blankets over, allowing the cool air to wash over her and she sat up, before heading to the bathroom.

Kaie returned and decided to lay in bed a bit longer. She smiled, then flopped down happily. She grabbed a pillow and squeezed it tightly, her mind drifting to ideas for lunch.

After a few episodes on TV, she decided to get up and get ready. She pulled out her favorite jeans and a nice babydoll tank top. She stripped down quickly and hopped in the shower.

After lathering her hair with fresh-smelling shampoo and washing her body, she got out and attended to her teeth. Feeling minty-fresh, she wrapped a towel around her and exited to her bedroom. She hummed happily as she found some lacy panties and a soft bra, before brushing her hair quickly and grabbing some leftover onigiri to munch on.

Returning, she decided to paint her toes, so she pulled out a pretty deep green. She swiped it across her toenails and made her fingernails shiny with some clear enamel. As she waited for it to dry, she contemplated her look for the day, and decided to add a knit cocoon shrug and strappy sandals.

Finally, it was almost time to head out, and Kaie slid into her jeans, wiggling until they were in just the right spot. She slid a belt through the loops and flipped the tank over her head. Worried about being late, she dashed to the bathroom and brushed dark mascara across her eyelashes. Finishing with some red lip stain and sunglasses, she was ready to go. She slid into her shoes, buckled them quickly and grabbed her keys, sweater and wallet as she headed out.

…

_It's been a while…. Kind of a boring chapter, but if you review and tell me you want it, I will get the next juiciness out tomorrow or Friday :D_


	11. Rain

_Bored in Study Hall. You guys should be glad my Senior year in this school is worthless ^_^_

…

Ten minutes later, Kaie entered the dark restaurant, looking for her friends. Removing her sunglasses, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she saw Sakura waving her over enthusiastically.

"Hey." She said, smiling and sitting down.

The girls chorused a volley of hellos and Hinata stood to hug Kaie. "Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I know! I've been off on a mission… with Naruto-kun." Hinata blushed and her voice dropped. Smiling knowingly, Kaie sat down, picking up the menu.

The lunch was rather uneventful, but fun. By dessert, Kaie had received a lovely set of black shuriken with purple edges from Tenten, a cute sundress from Hinata, and a book of medicinal herbs from Ino. Finally, she had a new pouch along with Sakura's food pill recipe, which was top secret. "Maybe people will eat them when you make them." She said, smiling as Kaie looked it over.

"Thank you guys so much. I love it all, and I am so happy that you guys took me out to lunch!" Kaie smiled around at her friends, carefully depositing all her presents in a gift bag for safe travels home.

"Of course!" They chorused.

"I know we just had cake, but anyone wanna stop for some ice cream on the way home? It is my birthday, after all."

The girls nodded as they stood to leave. "I've got some time before I have to be to the hospital, so let's go!" Ino agreed happily.

The girls filtered out after paying the bill, and were soon walking happily down the sunny street in a large group. "It's pretty sunny, but I think it's gonna rain." Hinata observed.

"Yea, I think they said around 5... So an hour or so. And you know those weather jutsus…" Tenten agreed.

Soon they had reached the stand, and they all tried to order at once. The older lady got a bit flustered from the mass of orders coming at her, so they made a line and she got them their ice cream one by one. Eventually, they had settled together on a bench along the side of the road and were watching the people walk by, smiling and waving to the people and ninjas they knew.

"So what do you guys have to do tonight?" Kaie asked, looking over at Tenten and Hinata. "I know Sakura and Ino are on call, but you just got back from a mission, right?" she gestured to Hinata.

"Yes… I am supposed to be on rest, but I have to give a report tomorrow, and I was thinking of maybe getting some ramen…" she trailed off, but all the girls got what she was saying.

"What about you, Tenten? I feel like none of us have hung out in ages!"

"Oh, I am mostly just training. On standby for now, but I think I have a mission coming up. Lee is getting a bit overexcited, so I guess we will see how that goes…" She licked her pink strawberry ice cream, shrugging.

The girls chatted happily as they finished the ice cream. When Ino finally crunched on the last of her cone, Hinata looked up again. "We should probably go. I think the rain is about to begin."

They all agreed, and Kaie made the rounds, giving hugs and receiving "Happy Birthday's" in return. She smiled and waved as they left, before turning and heading home herself.

She felt a lot better. All she could think about was how much she loved her friends. They were the best and she didn't know what she would do without them. Now she really did have to make those cookies, I mean, some were headed off on missions, and they had just taken the time to talk to her for her birthday because a jerk had decided to pick another girl.

Speaking of the jerk, as she approached her building, Kaie spotted him, standing with a large garbage bag, buzzing the com. She looked around quickly. _Why the hell won't he leave me alone? _She quickly propelled herself to the roof and looked down. _And what the hell is with that bag? He didn't have any of my stuff…._ She looked around, trying to figure out how to get into her apartment without going past him.

After a bit of contemplation, she decided to turn around and go shopping to make sure she had the ingredients for cookies.

…

Half an hour later, Kaie walked happily back to her building, chocolate chips, milk and sugar in tow. She stopped when she spotted Shikamaru again. Growling under her breath and rolling her eyes, she backtracked and turned down a side street. She was hoping the janitor would be there and he could let her in the back door.

Thankfully, when she reached the building again, the door was open to the spring breeze, and she could slip inside. Quietly avoiding the buckets and brooms, she made it through the access door and into the stairwell. Continuing up the stairs, she sighed to see her own door, but when she got there, her face fell.

She found a note taped to her door. _This is so much work._ She thought with a small scowl. She read it as she unlocked and opened her door.

_Kaie,_

_There was a young man here pounding on your door, and he refused to go away. He was bothering the others, so I made him go outside, but he refused to leave, so I believe he is still in front of the building._

_Li_

Kaie smiled at Li's note, he always took such good care of her, and he had been the janitor since she had moved in 5 years ago. However, no matter how nice Li was, Shikamaru still managed to ruin her day.

As she looked up from the note, she heard a buzzing. She ignored it and set the groceries in the kitchen, before unbuckling her shoes and tossing them unceremoniously into a corner of her bedroom. The buzzing was continuing in an odd pattern, but she continued to ignore it and headed to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, her com was still buzzing, and it was starting to get to her. "Why the hell won't he leave me alone!" She threw the bag of chocolate chips into the cupboard grumpily.

As she continued with her odd jobs and chores around the house, Kaie debated with herself under the buzzing. _Well, I should just shout at him until he goes away, or maybe throw a few shuriken at him… But I don't want him to know I am here, he will go away if I ignore him long enough, right?_ Deciding the latter was the best idea, she switched her computer on and proceeded to search her bedroom for headphones. Finally finding some, she pulled her music up and plugged in. She had brought a new manga along and settled comfortably into the chair to read.

An hour and a half later, Kaie had finished her manga, and even managed a little nap. She smiled, opening her eyes, and pulled her headphones out. Silence. _ He's gone!_ But then it happened again. The infernal invention buzzed again, and this time it was accompanied by a voice. "Kaie I know you're in there, just let me in so I can talk to you." It was garbled and electronic sounding, but there was no mistake. That was Shikamaru's voice.

Kaie let out a half-groan, half-scream in her agitation. "Okay, new plan." She said out loud to herself. "Let's take a nap." She glanced at the clock. "Or no. a shower!" It was getting late and if she took a shower, she wouldn't be able to hear him, as well as she would be clean and ready for laziness before bed.

Smiling at her own genius, she quickly stripped down and nearly jumped into the hot water.

Another half an hour later, Kaie stepped out of the shower to dry off. She stopped a moment and listened. All she heard was rain. _Oh sit, the windows!_ She dashed out, barely holding a towel around herself and slammed the window in her bedroom shut. Thankfully the wind wasn't blowing too much, so the bed was still dry. She sighed and pulled out a huge t-shirt. After drying off a bit more, she pulled it on and grabbed a pair of short shorts. Sliding into these as well, she plopped ungracefully onto her bed. She smiled and flipped the TV on.

After about an episode and a half of some drama, Kaie got bored and switched to the news. She found a good-looking man finishing up a story on cat rescuing. She was about to change the channel again, but she heard "And those of you on the East side, don't forget, the day for garbage pick-up has changed, so you better get a move on!"

Kaie jumped up. "Dammit, that was changed, wasn't it?" She rushed out to her table and went through a pile of papers there. Soon enough, she found a yellow flyer telling her the garbage day had changed, and she needed to get hers out, especially after the last week of the mission and the week before of sickness.

She rushed around her house, grabbing garbage and shoving it into bags, then tying them up tightly. Soon, she had two huge garbage bags to take down. She opened the door and dragged them into the hallway. After a lot of tugging and huffing, she made it to the building's front door.

She looked out and remembered that it was raining, but simply shrugged and continued. She stepped into the rain and pulled the bags after her. Once she reached the dumpsters, she stopped, and dropped one bag. She took the other in both hands and with a deep breath, heaved it up and over the edge. In a second she heard two satisfying thumps. _Wait a minute._ She turned around to look for the other bag, but only found someone standing behind her. She looked up.

"Shikamaru." She said with a scowl. "Didn't you go home?"

"No. I've been here all day."

"Well go home." She turned to head back inside, but he grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"Happy Birthday." He pulled her in tightly and captured her in his arms. He looked down at Kaie, who was trying to push him away, then leaned down and ensnared her lips in a kiss.

Kaie was like limp noodles in his arms, all the fight had gone out of her, and she could only try to breathe and stay on her feet. After a while, she managed to regain her senses and pushed him away. "Mmf. No… STOP! Leave me alone." She managed, finally extricating herself from him, though he maintained a grip on her wrist.

"Why? I know you, Kaie, you enjoyed that."

"Did not." She denied, looking away. "Besides, you don't know me. When did I come to Konoha? Where did I live before?"

Shikamaru looked at her. "Okay, maybe I don't know you _that _well, but I want to!"

Kaie stood, watching the rain drops splosh into a puddle at her feet. "I'm cold."

"Well then, let's go inside. Get you dried off and warmed up." Kaie looked at Shikamaru. He was soaked. She supposed he had been out here the entire time it was raining, and even though he seemed to have been sheltering under the balcony of the first-floor tenants, the Handas, he was still dripping from the rain. Kaie looked down at herself and realized her shirt was almost to the same point, and it had begun to stick to her skin. Still, she stubbornly shook her head.

"No. Now let me go."

"You know I won't do that."

She scowled up at Shikamaru.

"Why do you want me gone so badly?"

"You mess everything up. Here I was having a good birthday with my friends, and you make it so I have to sneak into my own building, then I had to find something to ignore that infernal buzzing, and now I am standing soaking outside in my pyjamas!"

"I said we should go inside."

"No, _we_ are not going inside. If you let me go, I think I will go take another shower and lay down for a nice dry sleep."

Shikamaru seemed to be getting a bit irritated. He grabbed both of her arms in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Kaie, look at me." She turned her head. "No, look at me. Just listen."

She reluctantly turned her head to face him.

"Now listen. That week I was here, it was the best week of my life, even though you were sick and I felt horrible. No look at me!" She had looked down, but at his words, met his eyes again. "I was not dating or doing anything with Temari. After you told me that's what you thought, I even made sure she didn't think that. When I told her, she admitted that she liked me and had hoped, but I just told her that there was someone else, and I just had to get her to notice me." Kaie's eyes once again drifted downwards, and she watched rain drip off of Shikamaru's chin. "So I set out to make sure she did notice me." He lifted her chin gently with one hand, and leaned forward before pressing his lips to hers gently.

Kaie broke down. She was in overload. She had no idea what was going on, and her nerves and emotions were fried. The droplets running down her face took on a slightly salty feeling and Shikamaru seemed to notice. He pulled back and looked at the girl in front of him. She stood; her eyes squeezed shut, her hair plastered to her neck and back, and her cotton shirt sticking to her skin. He took a deep breath, whispered something that sounded suspiciously like "Mendokusai." and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Kaie gripped the front of his soaked shirt and just sobbed. She let all of her angst, her stress, and her love out, and he stood there, in the rain, gripping her tightly the entire time.

Once she had calmed down a bit, Kaie leaned back, wiping her eyes, which didn't help much, as the raindrops simply replaced the tears. "Why?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Why what?" He asked tiredly in return.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you keep coming here, and why did you stand outside my building all day, then when I came out stand here the whole time while I cry like an idiot?" She sniffed and wiped her nose across the back of her hand.

"I don't know." He simply answered, squeezing her tightly again, this time lifting her up and kissing her passionately.

Kaie could feel it. She felt his passion, and though neither knew why he did it, she was just glad that he did.

After a few moments, he set her back on her feet and rested his forehead against hers. "Can I give you your present now?"

She looked up at him and nodded a bit shyly, almost like a little kid.

"Okay, stay here." He said, giving her a stern look before leaning in to kiss her quickly. She nodded, and he let her go, walking over to the semi-dry spot under the veranda. He picked up the large garbage bag and untied the top. As he turned around, he pulled something out of the top.

Kaie saw it. A white, fluffy, soft looking teddy bear. It was the perfect size, not too huge, and not too small. Her face split into a huge smile and she ran at Shikamaru. She jumped on him and he stumbled backwards until he made contact with the wall that he could lean on. She kissed him then pulled back, saying "I love it!"

"I thought you might." He smiled up at the girl he now held; as he leaned back against the wall, and she leaned down to kiss him again. "You know, I think this might be the first time you kissed me."

"That's not true. I kissed you a lot when I was sick."

"No, I kissed you. There's a difference."

"Oh, shut up." She said with a slight smile, leaning down and mashing their lips hungrily together.

"Women." He said, once she had released him and he began to set her down.

"We're a bother, right?"

"Exactly." He gripped Kaie around the waist and pulled her in quickly to his side to kiss her, before releasing her and grabbing the bag with the bear. "Can we go inside now? Or will you insist that I sleep out here in the mud and the rain?"

"I suppose I can let you inside."

…

_Go read my new story! :) Now!_

_I know I have at least one more chapter of this, and I refuse to post it until I get at least 3 reviews, (even if they say it's complete shit) on Puppy Heaven. Kay? So go read, now._


	12. A Chance

_To my anonymous male reviewer… I lost your review and am too lazy at the moment to go and look for it, so I will say this: That's just how it is… Every situation is different, and it takes a lot to explain exactly how a girl feels, just know for any future experience, hugs, kisses, and honesty is the best way to deal. Chocolate never hurts either. Unless she's allergic. Blek._

_(Update: 6/14/2012- With the new image thingy, I borrowed a cover with Shika from Super-Cheespuff on Deviantart. I really hope she doesnt't mind. I am telling you all now that I do not own the picture (or Shika*frowny face*) and I have a link for you all to check out her other stuff. _ art/Shikamaru-Likes-Clouds-161436243)

…

Kaie slowly came to consciousness, but kept her eyes shut. She started at her toes and experienced her surroundings without using her eyes. Her toes. They felt a slight draft as they peeked out of the bottom of a warm, fluffy blanket that wrapped around her calves and thighs. At her hips, she could feel her underwear twisted a bit from sleep, and tell that her t-shirt had ridden up around her ribs. Between the two, right across her stomach, Kaie felt a heavy, warm arm. The fingers hung liply from the hand, but the arm had her held tightly. Her back felt a muscular stomach and chest, and legs that felt a bit hairy were nestled against the back of her smooth ones. At her neck, she felt her hair; it stuck to her a bit from drying as she slept, and the moisture of body heat. The back of her head felt the slightest shift in air, and her arms were wrapped around something fluffy.

She opened her eyes a bit, and found herself looking into her bedroom, the fuzzy teddy bear squeezed tightly to her chest. She smiled and let go of it, before carefully rolling over, hoping not to wake Shikamaru. Once she settled, they were face to face, and she watched him for a bit.

Her heart and body felt perfect, like this is exactly how it was supposed to be. She felt amazingly happy, but her brain had begun to wake up, and reminded her of that pesky thing called logic. She wasn't completely sure that he wouldn't hurt her, or that she wouldn't lose him somehow. She was scared to death that someday, he would stop being like this and he would take his naps with another girl. Her heart throbbed a little at the thought, and she kissed him gently on the nose.

She thought a bit more. Was it worth it? The possibility of being hurt and thrown away, was it worth waking up like this in the mornings, and sleeping with the teddybear? It was. Kaie took a breath and shoved all the fear and uneasiness into a dark filing cabinet in her brain and reveled in the morning. She watched him breathe slowly and saw his hair fall a bit over his face.

"You know, it's a bit disconcerting to have someone stare at you while you're trying to sleep." Kaie almost jumped. Her heart faced as she looked at Shikamaru and his eyes opened, smiling a bit at her.

"Oh. Sorry, I just…" She trailed off, not sure what to say. How do you explain to someone that you just spent the last 5 minutes deciding whether or not you were going to take a chance on them?

"It's okay." Shikamaru readjusted his grip on her and pulled her securely into his chest. She smiled at him, and he kissed her gently.

When they pulled away, Kaie blanched. "Oh god!" She pushed apart a bit. "I am so sorry, I probably taste nasty, I haven't brushed my teeth yet!" She covered her mouth, and was horrified when Shikamaru chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, Amaya." Kaie dropped her hands. She was a bit confused.

"Huh?" He had just said something about weather, was he talking in his sleep?

"That's what I'm gonna call you." He had closed his eyes again, and seemed to be ready for round two of sleep.

"Why?"

"Cuz that's how it all started." His breathing soon evened out, and Kaie only smiled. She brushed her hair out of the way and snuggled into his chest. Even in his sleep, Shikamaru gripped her tightly. She sighed, and let all of her worries go, slipping into the best sleep she had ever had.

…

_Soo… A bit short, but I think it's a fitting ending._

_I hope you all enjoyed my first-ever finished fanfic!_

_Now, don't worry, this is not the end of Kaie and Shikamaru, but you should definitely go check out Kiba and his girl, Kyoko and keep an eye out for a collection of shorts I'm starting (hint, lots of Shika, but not all :p)_

_I love all you guys, and I love hearing from you! 3_


	13. Deleted Scene

_So this is just a scene I decided to not to put in the story, but I thought you guys might enjoy._

_Warning: slightly raunchy_

...

Soon, Kaie's body took over, and her teeth darted out, gripping Shikamaru's lower lip gently between them and pulling. He opened his eyes a bit to find her watching for his reaction. He smiled and when his lip was released, gripped her hips, pulling her down to sit on his lap. His tounge flashed out, sliding across her smooth lower lip, and she pulled away, raising an eyebrow teasingly.

She continued to peck at his lips, not giving in to his request, and he became frustrated. He took her hips and managed to flip her onto the bed, crawling on top. She lifted her hands to run them up his muscled arms and soon began to play under his shirt. He let out a low growl, and then grabbed both her hands in his left, pinning them above her head.

Kaie growled back, biting his lip again, and struggling slightly in his hands. Once she realized that she was not going to get free, she resorted to playing dirty. Kaie licked his lips, but wouldn't allow him to play back, moving her head away. She decided to up the ante, and moved her head, kissing a gentle line down his neck. He gasped and seemed to freeze for a moment, before she nipped gently at his collarbone. He let out a quiet moan and shuddered. Smiling, Kaie looked up at him, finding a look she had never seen him make. His eyes seemed hungry and for once, determined. A bit apprehensive, she reached up to kiss him again. He hungrily pushed against her lips and dropped his body to press against her. She gasped at the contact, and soon his lips were against hers again. Somehow, she had managed to continue resisting his attempts, so he tried a new tactic.

Shikamaru took his free hand and slid it down her side. Kaie arched her back, enjoying the touch, and as his hand continued farther down, she felt his hand slide up her skirt and the side of her leg. He grabbed her thigh roughly and pulled it up on the side of his hip. This rough action made Kaie gasp, and Shikamaru took the opportunity to glide his tongue into her mouth, beginning to explore the crevices, loving the strawberry taste still on her tongue.

They continued, but when Shikamaru made an attempt to slide Kaie's tanktop over her head, she froze. She pulled his hand from under her shirt and put her hands on his chest, pushing away.

"No."


End file.
